| |
| |
|
Debt Relief Information |
|
|
|
How To Avoid Medical Collections
With medical collections costing doctors millions upon millions of dollars in unpaid bills and collection fees, many people have just one question: Who are these people who are trying to stiff the doctors who delivered them from great physical pain (or the flu, hypochondria, not-so-white-teeth, or a nose that didn't look enough like Brad Pitt's)? Well, I'm here to tell you who these people are, or at least some of them. They're me. Yes, I admit it: I left a dentist's bill unpaid for three months. OK, so dentistry isn't technically considered "medical," but it's the same situation: a doctor left in the lurch. Why did I do such a horrible thing, especially when I, a small businessperson myself, know how difficult unpaid debts can make cash flow, and how it could very easily make me persona non grata in that office? Why Medical Collections Happen Or, Possible Reasons for Me Being a Deadbeat Here are reasons commonly advanced for why people like me might not pay a doctor's bill. They don't have enough money, plain and simple. After all, if they couldn't afford insurance, they probably are going to have trouble with the bill. They don't care about the poor doctors and either don't know about or don't care about the potential for damage to their own credit ratings. They are chronically lazy, stupid, or just don't know what they're doing. OK, the terms used aren't quite that specific, but that's the general idea. All of these possible reasons why a patient might not pay could be pretty discouraging for a practice looking to get the money it's owed. After all, there's not much even the best doctor can do about a patient's poverty, venality, or fecklessness. But is there really so little hope for collecting on medical debt? Why Medical Collection Isn't Necessarily So Hopeless Or, The Real Reason I Didn't Pay My Dentist's Bill I just signed and mailed a check for my outstanding dentist's bill. That just goes to show the situation isn't so hopeless after all, doesn't it? Here's at least one case of a healthcare practice getting its money back., and after three months at that . No, my financial situation did not improve dramatically, nor did my slothful ways correct themselves. Wondering what the dentist did to make me pay? Plead? Cajole? Shame? Threaten to put the tartar back? Actually, the dentist didn't do anything, and that's the problem. Here's what happened: I remembered I had the bill to pay. I had forgotten ever owing the dentist money. Since I wasn't expecting the dentist's bill, unlike all the bills that come every month, it got lost in a pile of credit card offers, appeals to help save trees being cut down to make paper, and news about really great products for writers. The follow-up letter reminding me to pay met a similar fate. It probably didn't help when I took a trip to Las Vegas and then threw away the junk mail en masse when I got back. I finally remembered the bill when someone asked me to write an article about medical collections. Sure enough, the follow-up letter (though not the original bill) was there in the pile of newsletters and friendly reminders from various businesses to schedule this or that appointment. The moral of the story If you are a patient, make sure to check your mail for letters from the doctor's office. If you're running a healthcare practice, follow up with your patients who have outstanding invoices-a phone call is preferable, since it's less likely to get lost at the bottom of a pile of correspondence. Don't have time for that? Worried about the legal issues of collection law compliance? Don't let that stop you. Go to a company that specializes in medical collections and accounts receivables management for healthcare practices. It's not about "putting debts in collection" anymore. Many of these companies offer everything from sending out a few polite phone calls and letters to end-to-end accounts receivable management. None of this has to impact your patients' credit rating or cost you a fortune. Your office can go back to healing people. Isn't that why you got into this business in the first place? Steve Austin is a regular contributor to Let No Debt Remain Outstanding (http://www.let-no-debt-remain-outstanding.com/), a website with articles on choosing a collection agency, along with recommended the best collection agencies.
MORE RESOURCES:
debt relief - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Eight Ways to Consolidate Debt Next to winning the lottery, a debt consolidation loan is a debtor's dream. With one monthly payment and a fixed monthly payment schedule, you can actually see an end to those monthly payments. Bankruptcy, Is It A Way Out Negotiations with creditors have failed. Repossession is imminent and foreclosure proceedings have begun. Worried About Debts? Having trouble paying your bills? Getting dunning notices from creditors? Are your accounts being turned over to debt collectors? Are you worried about losing your home or your car?You're not alone. Many people face a financial crisis some time in their lives. Is There Any Way To Get Out Of Debt? In this era where we are bombarded daily with commercials on television, radio, billboards, through email, not to forget the flyers slipped under the car's wiper blades while shopping at the mall, it's no surprise that so many of us find ourselves endlessly in debt to the services and products offered by others. How can we refuse, when we're baited with the juicy orange carrot of '0% APR' up to a certain amount or for a specified time, or 'no money down' and 'easy installments' of just so much per month?Before we know it, we're in debt. Eliminate Your Credit Card Debt, But How? Can a debt consolidation loan eliminate your credit card debt? A consolidation loan might (or might not) be the key. There are several things you must consider when making the choice to consolidate debt using a debt consolidation loan. How to Get Money When You Are Broke (Money You Don't Have to Pay Back) 1. One way to get money is to have a yard sale and sell itemsthat you are getting ready to toss away because you don't wantthem any longer. Bankruptcy Interest Increases as Deadline Approaches Congress recently passed sweeping legislation that will significantly reform American bankruptcy law. Designed to eliminate the "convenience bankruptcy" of compulsive gamblers and the financially irresponsible, this legislation will make it more difficult for those seeking bankruptcy protection from the courts to have their debts relieved. Reduce Your Debt Do you want to reduce your debt? Having trouble paying your bills? Getting dunning notices from creditors? Are your accounts being turned over to debt collectors? Are you worried about losing your home or your car?You're not alone. Many people face a financial crisis some time in their lives. Establish Money Saving Goals For Added Success Having something tangible to strive towards can work wonders for your money-saving efforts. To those of you that have already been actively implementing money-saving tips in order to lower your monthly bills, for added inspiration, establish a meaningful goal along with a specific dollar amount. New Bankruptcy Law - Targeting the Wrong People? Last April, President Bush enthusiastically signed into law the oddly-named Bankruptcy Abuse and Consumer Protection Act. This bill, representing the biggest overhaul of bankruptcy law in twenty-five years, was written in order to discourage "bankruptcy of convenience. IVA Advice An IVA (individual voluntary arrangement) is an alternative to bankruptcy introduced by the government as part of the Insolvency Act 1986. This article provides an overview of IVAs and suggests what readers should watch out for when looking for IVA advice. Ten Ways to Get Out of Debt 1) Use your AssetsIf you have assets with some significant equity, such as a home or a car you may be able to use these to get control of your debt. For example, you could get a loan on your home sufficient to pay off your debts. Debt Free and Carefree Are you still clearing a mountain of debt amassed last Christmas or even during last year's summer holiday?For those of you who make financial plans, who budget and save, you can skip this article. For those who get a little carried away, who regularly spend more than they can afford, this article is for you. Bankruptcy Abuse Bankruptcy is little more than a smack on the hand these days. Creditors are certainly not going to look at you as a wise credit risk after bankruptcy, but that will probably not stop them from extending credit to you anyways. Debt Elimination 3 Planning To Achieve Debt EliminationOnce you have started the process of changing your debt mindset to be against taking on consumer debt, then that is something you need to continue until it becomes the norm in your life. In some ways it is like stopping smoking; trying on will power alone is not enough, you need to get to the source of your problem and permanently change it. Get Debt Free If you once have been caught in the debt trap, how do you come out of it and be debt free? We are different and each of us has our own lifestyle and our own financial state, so the way to debt elimination is different from person to person. One plan will be good for some, but not for others. Debt Problems? You Can Negotiate With Your Creditors It is always possible to negotiate with creditors - even if they have already taken you to court to get a judgment or to garnish your wages.Getting a creditor to reduce your monthly payment helps and does provide short-term relief. Debt Management Systems What is a debt management system, and when do you need it? Like any kind of management system, debt help systems can be good or bad. We will take a look at what you can do to manage your debt better. Debt Elimination 1 If you have multiple debts, you may well be wishing you had a debt elimination wand to wave and make all the debts disappear. You would probably wish even harder for that magic wand if you were falling behind with, or at least struggling hard to keep up with, the monthly payments on those debts. Benefits and Drawbacks of Bankruptcy Outlined below are some of the benefits and drawbacks of bankruptcy. It should be noted that bankruptcy is not to be entered into without first having sought professional advice.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
||||
|
||||
|
