May a doctor or hospital refer an overdue medical bill to a collection agency?
Yes. HIPAA, the medical privacy rule that became effective in April 2003, allows a health care provider to disclose information to a collection agency. HIPAA also says an overdue bill can be reported to a credit reporting agency. Collection of an unpaid bill is considered a payment activity under HIPAA. Thus, it is not necessary that you give your consent before a medical bill is referred to a collection agency or before a negative entry is placed on your credit report. A debt collector would generally be a business associate of the covered entity. Although information may be disclosed to a debt collector, HIPAA requires that the minimum necessary standard be applied. This means the doctor or hospital should not give the collector any more information than is necessary to collect the bill. However, you may dispute a medical bill with the health care provider or a collection agency. If you do, the fact that you have lodged a dispute should also be revealed if a negative report is made t
Related Questions
- If a collection agency tries to collect an unpaid medical bill that you never received from the hospital should you pay the agency or try to pay the hospital directly?
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