|
|
|
Benefits Of Debt Consolidation Loan- Get The Most Out Of It
It is rightly said, “A sick man sleeps, but not a debtor”. Debts may become burden for debtors if they fail to repay them on time. Creditors keep on troubling them from time-to-time asking for the due payments.
You too may have taken number of...
Debt Consolidation Companies: Common Pitfalls to Avoid
It's difficult not to notice the incredible growth that there
has been in companies offering debt consolidation programs and
solutions over the past few years. At first, debt consolidation
companies were some of the biggest advertisers on the...
How to Cut Credit Card Debt
Most Americans have too much credit card debt. Duh, we've all heard that
before, right? Only now its gotten a bit personal... right again? You
personally have too much credit card debt and its about to drive you crazy.
Well there IS...
Living on the Cheap to Pay Down Your Debts
Having trouble with your credit card debts? Need to pay them down, and quick? Look for ways to cut your expenses - the quickest way to paying down your debts is by getting rid of all your costs. There are a number of ways to do this, and you can...
Personal finance - have consumers had a belly full of personal debt?
For months, we were trigger-swipe happy, putting our groceries, clothes, holidays and service charges on our credit cards. We wanted mortgages, we took out loans, we watched Property Ladder and What Not To Wear. Whether you were born middle class,...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Medical Collections True Tale: A Dental Debt Deadbeat
Medical collections are costing doctors millions. Here are the secrets of why patients don’t always pay their bills, from a real-life deadbeat.
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.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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?
About the Author
Read more of Joel Walsh's articles on debt collection: http://www.let-no-debt-remain-outstanding.com/debt-collection-agency-articles.html [Publish this article on your website! Requirement: live link for above URL/web address w/ link text/anchor text: "debt collection" OR leave this bracketed message intact.]
|
|
|
|
|
| Advertisements Promising Debt Relief May Be Offering Bankruptcy |
| Cautions consumers about ads in newspaper, magazine and telephone directories that offer quick fixes for debt problems. |
| www.ftc.gov |
|
| Welcome to Debt Relief International |
| Welcome to the web site of Debt Relief International. |
| www.dri.org.uk |
|
| Debt relief steps, your free guide to debt help. |
| Articles on debt relief, and credit management and repair. |
| www.debtsteps.com |
|
| Factsheet - Debt Relief Under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries ... |
| The HIPC Initiative is a comprehensive approach to debt reduction for heavily indebted poor countries pursuing IMF- and World Bank-supported adjustment and ... |
| www.imf.org |
|
| Special report: debt relief | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited |
| February 6: A year ago the Guardian set out to track the west's promises of action for Africa on aid, trade, health and debt relief. As G8 finance ministers ... |
| www.guardian.co.uk |
|
| Debt Relief Options - Findlaw for the Public - |
| Welcome to Debt Relief Options. This section contains information about the ... To begin, select one of the Debt Relief Options topics from the list below ... |
| bankruptcy.findlaw.com |
|
| William Brewer |
| The Brewer Law Firm. William E. Brewer, Jr., Attorney at Law Board Certified Consumer Bankruptcy Specialist. 619 N. Person Street Raleigh, NC 27604 ... |
| www.debtrelief.com |
|
| Debt Relief - InCharge Debt Solutions |
| There are many ways to get out of debt, for good, and it may be easier than you think. The first step is knowing your options, the second step is taking ... |
| www.incharge.org |
|
| Economic Policy and Debt |
| May 2006, IMF And World Bank Support Cameroon’s Completion Point Under The Enhanced HIPC Initiative And The IMF Immediately Grants 100 Percent Debt Relief ... |
| www.worldbank.org |
|
| Economic Policy and Debt - The Enhanced HIPC Initiative |
| The Initiative’s debt-burden thresholds were adjusted downward, which enabled a broader group of countries to qualify for larger volumes of debt relief. ... |
| www.worldbank.org |
|
| Debt relief - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Debt relief is the partial or total forgiveness of debt, or the slowing or stopping of debt growth, owed by individuals, corporations, or nations. ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| Debt Analyzer, Debt Reduction Software, Home Page |
| Debt Elimination at its best! Potential savings of hundreds or thousands of dollars! Build debt reduction, timed elimination or consolidation schedules. |
| www.debtanalyzer.com |
|
| Superior Debt Relief |
| We help you get rid of credit card debt much faster than you may believe possible with credit card debt settlement and negotiation tactics, providing debt ... |
| www.superiordebtrelief.com |
|
| Debt Relief - Social and Economic Policy - Global Policy Forum |
| Aid Inflows, Debt Relief Yet to Translate into Reduced Poverty (March 20, 2006) ... Fearing that the IMF could tie debt relief to economic benchmarks, ... |
| www.globalpolicy.org |
|
| Debt Relief - Global Policy Forum - Social and Economic Policy |
| Debt Relief - Global Policy Forum - Social and Economic Policy. The Debt Relief Page Has Been Moved to: ... |
| www.globalpolicy.org |
|
| BBC NEWS | Business | Q&A: African debt relief |
| BBC News looks at the progress of international debt reduction efforts, and the sticking points which continue to hamper the process. |
| news.bbc.co.uk |
|
| Debt Relief Australia - Start Reducing Debt Today! |
| Debt Relief offers Australians in debt assistance with finding the most appropriate debt relief solution. |
| www.debtrelief.com.au |
|
| Debt Consolidation Australia, Debt Relief & Bankruptcy Information |
| Specialising in debt agreements, mortgage refinancing and bankruptcy. Company profile, calculators, solutions, media releases, testimonials and existing ... |
| www.foxsymes.com.au |
|
| Oxfam - Debt and Aid - Debt Relief for Nicaragua: breaking out of ... |
| Oxfam policy paper on relationship between international debt servicing and poverty. Linked to table of contents and also zipped for download. |
| www.oxfam.org.uk |
|
| What debt relief means for Africa | csmonitor.com |
| This weekend's $40 billion debt cancellation deal could spark major improvements in the lives of the world's poorest people. |
| www.csmonitor.com |
|
|