The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) is enforcing medical debt notice requirements and is actively pursuing legal action against violators, most recently Renton Collections.
Renton Collections, Inc., settled a lawsuit brought by the AGO for failing to disclose consumers’ right to request information about their medical debt, and must provide $1.5 million in debt relief.
WSHA encourages members to review their contracts with debt collection agencies to ensure contracted agencies comply with requirements. This includes requirements related to charity care notices to debtors, collection during pendency of a charity care application or appeal, itemized statements and not reporting medical debt to credit reporting agencies or credit bureaus.
As a reminder, medical debt is void and unenforceable if a licensed collection agency reports medical debt to a consumer credit reporting agency (RCW 70.54.475). You should also consider how information provided by debt collection agencies aligns with hospital obligations to make information about charity care publicly available.
Washington Hospital Services offers a Charity Care Check Up program, which offers a comprehensive review of your program and policies, including review of the collections process. For more information about the Charity Care Check Up, please contact Ed Phippen at (206) 216-2556 or by email at [email protected]. (Katerina LaMarche)