Got my first reply to a DV letter, Medical related

[Rich3077]

I sent the following CA a DV and received a response within a couple of days.

Comprehensive Collection Services.

PO Box 2503 E Lansing, MI 48826

per your conversation with our office, please find enclosed a copy

of the itemized statement (s) for services rendered.

We've noted our records to expect your return payment by MAY 18 2005.

If you have additional questions, please call our office at 800-933-6773.

This is an attempt to collect a debt and any information obtained will

be used for that purpose.

2141287 Harris Birkhill 05/03/00

I sent them the standard DV letter from this site that incudes

What the money you say I owe is for;

Explain and show me how you calculated what you say I owe;

Provide me with copies of any papers that show I agreed to pay what you say I owe;

Provide a verification or copy of any judgment if applicable;

Identify the original creditor;

Prove the Statute of Limitations has not expired on this account

Show me that you are licensed to collect in my state

Provide me with your license numbers and Registered Agent

The reply had a computer printout of what it said I owed with the doctors

name at the top of it.

DRS Harris Birkhill, PC

PO Box 2802

Dearborn, MI 48123

Patient: xxxxxxxxxxx

Chest two views 23.00

Heart Image 3D Multiple 169.00

Heart Wall Motion Add 93.00

Heart Function Add 93.00

Patient Type: ER Patient

For Services At: Henry Ford Wyandotte

Doctors Name: Vito A Casano MD

Referring Doctor: Surendra P Garg MD

After each charge is a write off amount with a total patient owing

amount of $0 for each.

Now the thing is.... I never go to doctors. I feel they are an evil part

of mans system that only wants me to take pills that I do not need

that kill me slowly as a side effect.

I have always maintained health insurance through my employer... but it changes yearly so I have no idea who my health insurance provider was

in year 2000.

Things like this are the reason I am disputing everything in the first place.

I refuse to pay things that I do not know for sure I owe.

Is the fact that the CA had a detailed account of medical services

provided a violation of Hippa?

Anybody see any other violations regarding this DV?

How should I respond to this DV?

Any and all help is appreciated.

Peace

Rich

[GreatGadsby]

Not neccesarrily. If the information was released to them pre-HIPAA, then it's not a problem. if they jusy recently obtained the info, then maybe.... you said next to each item is a write off saying $0 for patient due... so then what are they trying to collect?

[Rich3077]

The write offs say "bad debt write off"

This is a statement from the doctor dated 5/3/05

so its not pre HIPPA.

It does not mention on the CRA files about it being a medical collection..

should it be?

How should I reply to this CA?

Peace

Rich

[Rich3077]

Anyone wanna lend a hand here please?

All I got was a computer printout of what they say I owe.

This should not be proper validation should it?

Or am I screwed because it is a medical debt and thats all they have to provide?

Any help is appreciated.

Peace

Rich

[Rich3077]

Okay been doing some research. Still dont know how to respond but

I found some interesting stuff from michigan collection law.

Frequently Asked Questions for Licensees and Applicants

Does each branch office need a license?

Yes. A license is required for each separate place of business.

Can a manager supervise more than one office?

No. Each Collection Agency must have a licensed manager who personally supervises the office of the collection agency. A Collection Agency Manager may not supervise more than one office.

So far I have been unable to find the law itself, but I am still looking.

The CA is licenced for a Bath, MI location... but has no licence

for the office that I received the reply from which is in East Lansing, MI.

Also I have so far been unable to find information on if they have a surity bond. ( they are required )

Am I on to anything worthwhile here?

Peace

Rich

[Rich3077]

Found Something

OCCUPATIONAL CODE (EXCERPT)

Act 299 of 1980

339.906 Collection agency; license nontransferable; notification of changes in corporate structure, partnership, name, or address.

Sec. 906.

A collection agency license is not transferable to another person or location. Notification of changes in the corporate structure, partnership, name, or address shall be submitted in writing within 30 days after the date of the change.

[Rich3077]

It gets better

OCCUPATIONAL CODE (EXCERPT)

Act 299 of 1980

339.920 Taking possession of assets, books, and records of licensee for purpose of liquidating business or other relief; application for court order; notice.

Sec. 920.

If the department determines that a licensee is insolvent or has collected accounts, but failed to remit money due a claimant or forwarded money due a claimant within 45 days after the day of collection, or if the license of a collection agency has expired or been suspended or revoked, the department may apply to the circuit court for the county in which the main office of the agency is located for an order authorizing the director to take possession of the assets, books, and records of the licensee for the purpose of liquidating the business and for such other relief as the nature of the case and the interests of the claimants or aggrieved consumers require. The application for an order following the expiration, suspension, or revocation of a license shall not be made until after 10 days' notice to the licensee or former licensee.

History: Add. 1981, Act 83, Imd. Eff. July 1, 1981

Popular Name: Act 299

[Rich3077]

BAH!

It was all just a pipe dream.

I did some more research and found that Bath, MI is 5 miles from

E Lansing, MI.

A reverse phone number lookup confirmed that they are located

in Bath.

Back to the drawing board.

Peace

Rich

[DocDon]

Where does E. Lansing come into the picture? Was it postmarked through Lansing?

Here's how to look up CA licenses in MI:

http://www.cis.state.mi.us/bcs_free/default.asp?profession=practice

[Rich3077]

Yeah Doc, I was able to verify the licence.

Now I need to figure out what to do with this bill.

I dont think its standard procedure for a doctor to bill a patient directly

for a hospital visit. Tomorrow I am going to the hospital to see if I was

even there on the date they claim... I dont think I was.

Anybody want to tell me if a computer printout is validation on a medical

collection?

Peace

Rich

[DocDon]

A computer-generated printout off the CA's computer is not validation.

Medical billing is screwed up (surprise, surprise). Doctors bill separately from hospital charges who submit their charges separately from the doctors and the patient is expected to just simply understand what's going on.

Then, if an issue does come up and you ask for assistance, you're confronted by apathetic cows in the billing department who feel if you don't understand how billing works, then you shouldn't get sick.

And like the practice of law.... this is what somehow makes U.S. medicine the best in the world.

*off soapbox*

If you're being told to pay for services you did not receive, and nobody wants to work with you, then file formal complaints against them with the Michigan Attorney General.

[dpgirl]

You are right.. start from scratch. Contact the hospital and find out if you were even there. If you were, let them know that you are confused by a bill you have received. Just tell them you need help with the bill, don't go into the CA, etc.

The charges you listed show an ER visit and in that case it does look as though this doctor was called in to interpret testing done. In this case you would get a separate bill from them. That's what it looks like to me, see if the hospital contact can verify that for you.

It is old but speak to someone in your human resources department and ask them for help in contacting your insurance from back then and see what happened. Did this doctor even bill your insurance?

I still say even if they wrote it off as bad debt sending you a validation that states your balance is zero is pretty stupid. To me it is verifying that you DON"T owe them anything... they wrote it off.

Is it past SOL in your state?

[Rich3077]

dpgirl,

I did go to the hospital listed on the bill, and they verified that I was

there. They also said it looked like the doctor was billing me to look

at X-Rays.

As far as the insurance goes.. I was off work for a time without insurance,

and I am pretty sure this bill is from that time.

Even though I found out that I probably do owe this bill... I REALLY

don't want to pay a CA for it. Also I am going through some personal

stuff that is making my finances very tight right now. I have FMLA

leave for both my wife and my mother and have been taking

loads of unpaid time off work to care for them.

But anyway... I would guess that my next course of action would be to write the doctor a letter and ask him to pull the bill from the CA

and allow me to make payment arraignments.

Geeze... almost $400 to look at some X-Rays.... thats really sad.

Peace

Rich