Since our last update, the Medical Debt Collection Task Force has been a very busy group. The task force completed their first round of changes and modifications to the flow chart and created a white paper to accompany it. The flow chart was presented at the recent HFMA ANI meeting in Orlando. The document was also recently circulated at the ACA International Convention in San Diego in order to gain additional comments and feedback form the third party debt collection standpoint. The task force will also be soliciting feedback from its membership to incorporate in the document. The objective is to create a final document that will be released for publication by the end of August or September.

Some particular items of interest include:

  • Credit bureau reporting occurs only after a minimum of 120 days from the date of the first patient statement in order to have time for things such as insurance processing and secondary billing to take place as well as give the patient time to work through the process.
  • Removing credit bureau reports 45 days after a medical debt has been paid in full to allow the patient’s score to be positively reflected.
  • Regular reconciliation between the provider and the agency to ensure that payments and adjustments are processed and records are accurate.
  • Regular reconciliation between the credit bureau agency and the debt collector to ensure accounts are accurately reported and updated.
  • Complaint tracking between the agency and the provider in order to have a consolidated database so processes that are causing complaints and disputes can be fixed.

The task force continues to work hard to create streamlined and efficient processes. If you have any questions or would like to share your thoughts on our work, feel free to contact me at tinah@stcol.com.

About State Collection Service, Inc.

Since 1949, State Collection Service has provided quality collection service to countless healthcare organizations.

Through experience and innovation, State Collection Service has grown to become a tremendously credible and nationally-recognized collection agency offering services from pre-registration to bad debt. It is upon the basis of ethical behavior and a dedication to integrity that each State Collection Service employee works to uphold the company’s vision – Partnerships for a Lifetime.

*This article first appeared in “A State Collection Service, Inc. Newsletter Volume 19, Issue 3, Third Quarter 2013”