Complaints on Surprise Medical Billing

Key Points

1. The CFPB is spotlighting medical debt collection.
2. There are many reasons that patients complain about their medical bill, including surprise medical billing.
3. Americollect uses a combination of real people and software to ensure we catch patient disputes before they turn into complaints.

Spotlighting Complaints

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released its annual report on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) in late 2023. That report had a spotlight on medical debt collection and the complaints that accompany the debt collection attempts.

Part of this spotlight focused on incorrect bills, potential violations of the FDCPA and the importance of paying attention to these complaints. Most of the time you have already sent these accounts to collections. How do you ensure that you know about these disputes? Potential violations can lead to lawsuits and penalties, so what does your early out partner do to identify and notify your team if these problems arise? At Americollect our Ridiculously Nice Patient Customer Service Specialists (PCSS) ensure disputes are caught, allowing us to work with you before disputes become a problem.

Incorrect Medical Bills and the FDCPA

To patients, medical billing can be one of the more confusing parts of a hospital or clinic visit. There are several factors that can make it difficult for patients to understand what they owe. Insurance compounds this uncertainty by making it difficult for patients to understand exactly what portion of the bill is their responsibility to pay. Emergency medical services can also result in complaints because patients are not often able to get an up-front cost for service.

When your bad debt partner attempts to collect the money you are owed, some may have issues that can cause complaints, such as:

• The patient may have already paid or settled the bill.
• An insurance company or financial assistance program may have paid or may be responsible for the bill instead of the patient.
• The services actually provided may have been most accurately described by less expensive billing codes (i.e., upcoding).
• State law may provide that the bill is not owed or that the amount owed is actually different from what the provider has billed.
• Federal law may provide that the bill is not actually owed.

With the CFPB clearly targeting medical debt, it is now more important than ever to resolve these issues before an account reaches bad debt.

Recognizing Surprise Medical Billing Instances

At Americollect, we take patient disputes seriously and train our PCSSs on what to listen for so that these disputes can be resolved prior to an account listing with bad debt. When they hear a dispute regarding an estimate, a surprise medical bill, etc., they will refer the account to Client Relations, who then places the account on hold and informs the provider. This helps ensure that when a PCSS hears a complaint, it can be checked and confirmed, minimizing complaints to the CFPB.

We also utilize software that analyzes all calls for phrases that may be related to surprise medical billing complaints. We review the reports and share them with the provider if warranted.

Conclusion

The CFPB is taking a closer look at surprise medical billing complaints, which means it is important to stay on top of any disputes you receive. Your early out collection partner should work with your team to ensure that disputes are investigated and monitored.

If you have questions about how this works, contact your Americollect Ridiculously Nice Sales Representative today and find out how our PCSSs and cutting-edge software can help keep you on top of any complaints that may happen.