Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

At MedClaims, we always seek to hold insurance companies and other third-party guarantors to the contractual obligations they have assumed before turning to an individual patient to seek payment.  In cases where insurance is not enough to cover 100% of a patient's medical bills, MedClaims may turn to the individual who received the treatment in order to obtain payment on the outstanding medical bills.  When seeking payment from an individual, MCI must abide by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ("FDCPA").

In 1978 Congress amended the Consumer Credit Protection Act in order to provide protections to individual consumers who purchased goods or services with credit by adding the FDCPA.  MedClaims is a strong believer in the policies behind the FDCPA and makes all efforts to comply not only with the express provisions of the FDCPA, but also the "spirit" behind this law.  The FDCPA has dual purposes:

• To provide creditors with the tools necessary to obtain payment for services they have rendered.
• To protect debtors from being treated in an unprofessional or disrespectful manner.

For many people, issues related to their health or personal finances are uncomfortable topics.  We will always respect a patient's privacy and will treat that patient with the utmost respect and compassion.   Still, we are aware of the financial needs of our hospital and work diligently to use the tools available to us under the FDCPA to assist our hospitals in meeting their financial needs. We are cognizant of the dual purposes of the FDCPA and we strive to meet those dual purposes by treating individuals in a respectful and honest fashion.