Collection agency aware of indebted healthcare patients' needs

The Association of Credit and Collection Professionals' (ACA) Healthcare Collection and Servicing Statement of Principles and Guidelines was enacted to help members remain sensitive to health services debt collection, according to its website. Guidelines include responding to patients' requests for information about a bill in a manner designed to help the person fully accept his or her obligation, as well as establish regular communication with a healthcare provider's designated representative. Waco, Texas-based Financial Control Services is one agency that is offering patients and doctors help with collections by stringently abiding by ACA healthcare standards. "Patients should always be treated with dignity and respect," Kevin Rash, regional sales manager for FCS, told insideARM. "Our healthcare clients expect us to represent them positively when we contact a patient regarding a past due bill." He added that the company hopes to consistently collect past due accounts in a "socially sensitive manner." Commitment to the healthcare guidelines is optional, but all ACA members are still required to abide by the association's code of ethics that establishes a minimum standard of practice.