Posted on: 12th Feb, 2010 01:33 am
Hello there and thanks for such a wonderful forum.
My cousin is cleaning up her credit file and is one collection away from it. The one major negative item left on her credit report is a medical collection from 2006. She had come to know that the debt has passed the SOL in her state. However, the original creditor line on her Equifax report states the name of the doctor's office. She has made no contact with the original creditor or collection agency. Can anybody here help how should we approach this? Is the HIPAA method suitable here?
My cousin is cleaning up her credit file and is one collection away from it. The one major negative item left on her credit report is a medical collection from 2006. She had come to know that the debt has passed the SOL in her state. However, the original creditor line on her Equifax report states the name of the doctor's office. She has made no contact with the original creditor or collection agency. Can anybody here help how should we approach this? Is the HIPAA method suitable here?
Hi Veronica,
Before your cousin can use Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to dispute the item, it is advisable to check the HIPAA laws of your state.
Before your cousin can use Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to dispute the item, it is advisable to check the HIPAA laws of your state.
Is the account satisfied? (Paid/settled)
Normally, Dr accounts are small and you can pay for deletion.
If satisfied, and there is something incorrect with the tradeline...you can dispute it. Chances are that the Dr will not respond and they'll put it to your satisfaction
If you dispute the whole tradeline and ask the DR to validate it...and he doesnt do so with the credit bureau within 30days then the credit bureaus remove it
Normally, Dr accounts are small and you can pay for deletion.
If satisfied, and there is something incorrect with the tradeline...you can dispute it. Chances are that the Dr will not respond and they'll put it to your satisfaction
If you dispute the whole tradeline and ask the DR to validate it...and he doesnt do so with the credit bureau within 30days then the credit bureaus remove it
To Veronica,
If the medical collection has passed the Statute of Limitations (SOL) in your state, you should send a letter to the creditor asking them to validate it. If it is past the SOL, the creditors cannot come after you to recover it. Then you can the credit bureaus a letter asking them to remove the item from your credit report as it is past the SOL period. As per the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the credit reporting agencies are required to remove any inaccurate information from your report, if their investigation finds your claim to be true.
If the medical collection has passed the Statute of Limitations (SOL) in your state, you should send a letter to the creditor asking them to validate it. If it is past the SOL, the creditors cannot come after you to recover it. Then you can the credit bureaus a letter asking them to remove the item from your credit report as it is past the SOL period. As per the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the credit reporting agencies are required to remove any inaccurate information from your report, if their investigation finds your claim to be true.