Medical Collection- best way to proceed?

[Anonymous]

I have a debt of $546 owed from an emergency room visit in May of 2006.  The collection only shows up on my Transunion report.  The date assigned is listed as 10/12/06 and the date reported is listed as 11/15/07.  It also shows that Nco Group made the inquiry on 8/8/07.

I sent a letter to Transunion because I had applied for a Charitable Care program through the hospital and never heard back- never received a bill, etc.  I just sent the letter last week, and have not heard anything back yet.

What is the best way to proceed here?  I am trying to buy a home in the upcoming months.  My credit is good other than this collection, which again only shows up on Transunion, not on the other two reports.  What's my best course of action- pay the debt in full?  I could if necessary, but doesn't it remain on my report?  Should I contact either the hospital or Nco Group?

Thank you in advance for your help

[Anonymous]

Hi firsttime, welcome to the forum. There's a wealth of information here and very knowledgeable people here to help you with your credit issues.

First of all, DO NOT contact the collection agency just yet! Call the hospital and begin negotiations with them to Pay For Delete. Find out if in fact, the hospital does indeed still own the account. Often they sell them to a collection agency, and they are out of the picture.

Type PFD in the search box, and read, read, read. You must educate yourself in the handling of such issues, before you proceed.

Just paying in full, will NOT necessarily cause the collection to disappear from your report. It will just be reported as a paid collection.....almost as bad as just the collection itself. You want it REMOVED.

I'm sure others will chime in and offer their opinions/advice.