Finally - a real HIPAA validation

[fused]

It's very rare for bad medical debts to be sold, they're almost always assigned. It appears to me, that the CA didn't validate because they couldn't.  If the hospital wrote it off, then they wouldn't be sending you a bill. Can you pay this off in full?

[Anonymous]

Not this minute, but in a couple of weeks I can (Thought I'd have heard from them by now and they would delete, so I paid off another debt.)  I contacted them mid August about it, and they said they couldn't find the file, so this was a surprise.

[fused]

I am going discuss your case with Happy...something tells me he and I won't agree on the next step. I think it's possible the account is back in the hands of the OC. Problem is the continued reporting though. 

[Anonymous]

Thanks so much fused, I really appreciate it. I can deal with having it in the hands of the OC...

The hospital group doesn't seem to be aware of how HIPAA prevents reporting paid accounts on CRs, since I'm working on 3 paid ones to get them off. But once I get through that process, this last one should be paid and I can apply it to all 4.

[fused]

In your case, paying the hospital will probably not get the collection removed from your reports. We need to prove their is an existing and valid relationship between the hospital and the CA. Unfortunately, the letters you've written thus far have failed to accomplish this goal.

[Anonymous]

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@fused wrote:
In your case, paying the hospital will probably not get the collection removed from your reports. We need to prove their is an existing and valid relationship between the hospital and the CA. Unfortunately, the letters you've written thus far have failed to accomplish this goal.

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So far I've gotten nothing from this CA.

Originally I had 3 with them, one for $115, one for $385 and this one for $1678. Before I found this board, I paid off the smaller two. Experian has already deleted all three through the HIPAA process. Transunion deleted the one for $115, but left the other two. Date of service is 3/30/04, and if it's paid it will fall off by next March (NY law is 5 years CRTP for paid accounts.)

Actually, as I look at this piece of paper, it's a bill - not just a statement of the account. It says "Remit to:" and "Make check payable to:" the hospital. It came with no cover letter or explanation.

So then if I am paying the OC, which seems to be what the hospital is asking me to do, how does the CA fit in? Could this mean they have pulled it back from the CA? And would that remove the reporting?