Medical Collections

[ThomasJNewton]

In checking on my credit in preparation for applying for a car lease, I discovered several two year old medical collections items, all of which were sent to my old address. I was able to get the original account numbers and since I know the online billing payment system, I was able to look up the accounts and see that I could still make the payments in the doctor’s billing system. What I want to know is the best way to get this off my report. I have no problem paying in full, I just want it removed. I would also rather pay the doctor, than the CA, as he rendered the service (I hate the way insurance works in that sometimes they pay the doctor/hospital and sometimes they send me a check with no explanation).

As far as I can tell I can:

• just pay using their online system.
• call the doctor’s billing office and ask them to take the debt back and pay them in full.
• do something else that would be better, but I do not know what it is. :-)

Edit: the collection agency is CMRE financial, if that matters.

Any help is appreciated.

[gdale6]

Welcome to the board

It is the edits that grabbed this post, its the hallmark of solicitors to edit things in a short period of time to try and get by the auto spam filter. It has been restored.

[ThomasJNewton]

Thanks! Sorry about that. I realized that I had not included the collections agency in the post, and then I also noticed that the formatting was wrong, so I corrected that.

Thanks for the quick response. :-)

[gdale6]

For you start with No. 2.

1. Call the OC and see if insurance can be billed, if not then
2. see if you qualify for Charity Care, if not then
3.  ask that they recall the collection in exchange for full payment
4. Send the reporting CA a PFD offer
5. Google the HIPAA Process and contact its creator for help

[ThomasJNewton]

Thanks so much for your help. I am happy to pay the bill (I may or may not have been paid by the insurance company, I am checking with them to see), so I guess that means start with 3 on your list?

Just so I understand, what would happen if I just made the payment in the doctor’s billing system, without contacting them first? Would I be able to dispute the debt to the CA (as the doctor was paid in full)?

[Anonymous]

From what I have learned, if you pay it directly to the OC the CA will continue reporting it but it will updated with 0 balance. I recommend asking the doctors office to recall the debt from the CA and THEN (after it is recalled) pay it to them. This should delete it from your reports when it is recalled. You can also ask for a PFD agreement before you pay it, just in case. hope this helps

[ThomasJNewton]

Spoke to the doctor’s office and was told: “They can only pull a charge back from collections for 10 days, and this has been 3 months. I can pay it with them, but they will just report it to CMRE as paid, but will not remove it.” So I guess it is on to the next step.

In approaching CMRE, should I call or should I send a letter?

[Anonymous]

I had two small collections accounts from CMRE. I called and paid both and both were deleted from my credit report within 2 weeks.

[ThomasJNewton]

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@Anonymous wrote:
I had two small collections accounts from CMRE. I called and paid both and both were deleted from my credit report within 2 weeks.

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Did you get a PFD letter from them, or just called them and trusted them?

[Anonymous]

Before you do anything google the HIPAA Letter Process follow it exactly as laid out.