So I had a lot of listings in collection through a hospital. I sent a request for validation to them and in return got an itemized bill. It states I was the patient and what was performed, whether it be lab work, my giving birth, etc. This really doesn't cut it as validation does it? What should I reply with- thanks for your response, where is my validation, your 30 days are up September 7th??
Oh and it did not come CRRR...so I guess I should act like I never recieved that and just move on with the next step when the 30 days are up? I already sent the dispute letter to Experian a week after the validations to the CAs.
An itemized bill is what you want, I would presume, for each and every amount the hospital claims you owe. You want the same for each other entity that might have obtained your billing information from the hospital and might be billing you separately, such as doctors' groups, labs, etc. If you have insurance, you would want to match that up agains an EOB from your insurance company to make sure the claim has been submitted, that you have been charged at the contracted rates your insurance company has agreed to with the hospital, and that what the hospital is billing you is what you actually owe after the insurance company pays. Is this account already in collection, and was your validation request sent to a CA, or to the hospital itself?
Yes the accounts are listed as collections and I sent the letter to the CA. So them sending me an itemized bill counts as validation?
There is no hard and fast rule. Is what they have sent sufficient to determine what is owed, whether you are the one who owes it, whether the charges are correct, whether any payments have been accounted for, and whether any fees or interest have been accounted for? In short, is the amount they claim you owe accurate? If you accept it, it is validation. If you find a problem with it, and are not sure it is correct, ask for more. If it went to court, what a judge would decide is anyone's guess, but presumably if you had a good reason why it was not adequate, that might argue for obtaining more information in discovery. With an itemized bill, you can check that the date of service was correct, the name is yours, the services provided reasonably match what they provided, and amounts appear reasonable. Then you want to make sure all insurance or other payments are accounted for so you are not paying something that has already been paid.
