If a medical facility or provider gives your personal information to a debt collector, they can only share your name, address, social security number, date of birth, payment history, and the location and name of the facility where you were treated. That's it!
If a debt collector presents your client with any of these protected details, they are in direct violation of HIPAA regulations, and it's time to send them a Validation of Medical Debt (HIPAA Request) Dispute Letter!
Read on to learn:
HIPAA stands for HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY and ACCOUNTABILITY ACT, and it protects your privacy by preventing your medical records from being given to third parties without your written consent.
Over 50% of all delinquent debts are medical bills. Medical providers will often sell these debts to collection agencies, especially medical debts that have been partially paid. These exchanges are governed by HIPAA regulations, and if the debt collectors violate HIPAA, they can be subject to heavy fines.
Make sure that you understand the HIPAA requirements before using the Validation of Medical Debt (HIPAA Request) Letter.
If a Medical provider discloses the nature of your client's treatment, procedures, paperwork, or bills that disclose medications they've taken, ailments, or diseases they may have been diagnosed with or treated for, they are likely in direct violation of HIPAA and face severe fines.
The Validation of Medical Debt (HIPAA Request) Letter essentially threatens a lawsuit for HIPAA violations, and you can usually convince any collection agency to delete the account if you can prove they violated HIPAA.
Of course, you should always grab the low-hanging fruit first and dispute the collection with the credit bureaus. Sometimes that will result in an easy deletion. But if you've moved beyond that stage, it might be time to send the letter.
