Medical collections/HIPAA process

[Trish]

If you have medical collections.......and a little bit of time......you may want to try the HIPAA process. It can take several months but it does work.

This method will only work if the acct has been paid or you intend to pay.

I learned this method from Why Chat and used it for several of my medical debts.
Here is the link to the page which explains the process. Please read this first. It can be a bit confusing at first (I had to read it a couple of times before it sank in) so I will sort of break it down so that maybe it's a little easier to understand.

Please let me know if you have any questions and I will do my best to answer (or find the answer).

The very first thing you want to do is to opt out (Go here).

Next (assuming you have already ordered/rec'd your 3 CRs) you need to update all personal info on your CRs. Have as much info AS POSSIBLE deleted. You can actually dispute the personal stuff over the phone and it will go a little quicker.

NOW you are ready to use the medical dispute letter. Send the dispute letter to each CRA that the medical acct is being reported to. (you can dispute multiple TLs if they are with the same CA.....otherwise keep it to one debt at a time for this type of dispute)
VERY IMPORTANT - Make sure you hand address the envelope. Use regular paper/personal stationary and purple or teal italic font. Send certified but NOT return receipt. Then wait until you get the FULL response from the CRAs before going any further.

If the investigation results come back verified, you then send the HIPAA letter to the OC/HCP (healthcare provider) with the appropriate insert (there are 3 choices). This letter you will send CMRRR to the HIPAA compliance officer.
VERY IMPORTANT - Be sure to send your payment in the form of a Bank Cashier's check or a bank money order with the restrictive endorsement.

Once you know that the check/MO has been cashed, you then send the follow up letter to the OC along with a copy of your "redispute" letter that you will send to the CRA.

Whatever you do.......DO NOT have correspondence with the CA. You ONLY deal with the OC/HCP.

Ok, I know I didn't go into great detail on this but if you read the link posted above very carefully, you will see exactly what to do.

And like I said, if anyone has any questions.......just let me know and I will try to answer.

[SHANNA8102]

hi quick question...

what if i paid after it went to collections, would this process still work?

[Trish]

Depends on who you paid.

If you paid the CA.......no. If you paid the OC/Healthcare provider, then yes it would still work.

[CreditCrisis]

The letter says its for the OC but in the text of the letter, it keeps saying "transfered to" the CA name and it keeps bascially refering to the account being transfered. how can i doctor it up and stil have it be as effective?

thanks

[Trish]

Originally Posted by CreditCrisis

The letter says its for the OC but in the text of the letter, it keeps saying "transfered to" the CA name and it keeps bascially refering to the account being transfered. how can i doctor it up and stil have it be as effective?

thanks

Not sure what you mean. The only place I see where it talks about transferring to a third party is in the insert "a".

[CreditCrisis]

I'm just not sure that this letter will work by the way it reads.

my debt on my report is from the hospital. this letter almost seems like its intended for a collection agency.

[Trish]

No no! It's ONLY for an OC/original healthcare provider..........it is just stating that you do not wish for payment to be transferred to the CA. That's all.

And it's only in the inserts. There is no other mention of a CA in the letter.

What is your reason for sending the HIPAA letter? Which insert (a, b or c) applies to you?

[CreditCrisis]

okay awesome. the insert about how it was not sent to my insurance in a timely matter applies to me. its the accounts i told you about that are really from 2006 and report as being from 2008 and i had medi-cal, full $0 benefits and they just didnt send it in time. medi-cal told me they will be unable to pay for it now because the medical accounts are so old.

[Trish]

Ok, then that should work for you just fine. Even if it is being reported ONLY by the OC, I'm sure it is in collections (even if it is only their internal collections).......so that insert wording should still be ok for you. You could just put their name instead of a CA name. kwim?

[CreditCrisis]

awesome just waiting for the prior dispute to come back. then i have a whole new round of hard hits to mail out