Dealing with “Medical Payment Data” Collections

Dealing with a medical emergency is stressful enough.  Whats worse?  Finding a stubborn medical collection festering on your credit.  However, can you imagine finding a medical collection when applying for a new home loan?

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The Origin of a Medical Payment Data Collection

Now, the brain wracking and backtracking begins.  First, you ask your self what doctor visit is the collection from?   Then you wonder, what collection company is this from?

As you know, standard doctor visits involve several entities.  Each bill your for their services making it tough to track.  In addition, insurance companies pay late or they pay the wrong  amount leaving a balance due.  With multiple doctor visits, determining which visit the collections stems from is not easy.

Lastly, medical collections listed under as”Medical Payment Data” on your credit reports provide no direction on who you owe money to.

Learn more: when negative information falls off credit

What is Medical Payment Data?

Consumer Privacy law requires medical collections be labeled as “Medical Payment Data” on third party credit reports.  You see, third party credit reports cannot reveal what the medical issue is that is connected to a medical collection.  Ultimately, generic labeling medical collections as “Medical Payment Data” keeps sensitive information private.

On the other hand, listing the name of the company collecting on a medical bill provides medical information to third party companies.  As a result, doing so inches dangerously close to a consumer privacy violation (think about HIPPA).

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Team@JeremyHouse.com
602.435.2149

Medical Payment Data and Finding Out Who to Pay

Medical collections present possible roadblocks however there are solutions.  For example, Delete for payment letters or simply paying off the collection both fix the problem.  However, who do you pay or call when you don’t know who you owe?

Fortunately, finding out who to call is easy – just pull your own credit report.  However, make sure you pull your credit from a consumer direct agency.  Credit Karma and Annual Credit Report are both great options.  These types of  companies can provide you with the name of the medical collection agency.  As a result, you will now see the medical collection company’s name and number on your consumer direct report!   Just like magic!

By Jeremy House