Collection Agency Pledges to Collect Health Care Debts with Dignity and Respect

As local health care providers continue to develop patient-friendly billing and collection practices, one area collection agency is advancing the effort through its voluntary commitment to a new set of principles endorsed by ACA International, the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals (ACA).

Financial Control Services, a collection agency based in Waco, Texas has always complied with the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and other applicable laws and regulations, but has taken its commitment to professionalism a step further by pledging to uphold ACA’s “Health Care Collection and Servicing-Statement of Principles and Guidelines.” The Statement of Principles is a road map to help ACA members align their practices with the care-driven mission of their health care clients.

“Patients should always be treated with dignity and respect,” said Kevin Rash, Regional Sales Manager for Financial Control Services. “Our health care clients expect us to represent them positively when we contact a patient regarding a past due bill. Yet collecting legitimate amounts due from those who have the ability to pay is crucial. We all benefit from a financially sound health care system, and in today’s environment, that increasingly depends on help from reputable collection agencies like Financial Control Services,” said Rash.

“By committing to the ACA Statement of Principles, we hold ourselves out as an example of professionalism and assure our health care clients that their accounts will be collected in a socially sensitive manner. Our company has always been respectful of health care providers’ needs, and with the Statement of Principles we have a new tool for communicating that respect to our clients,” said Rash.

The Statement of Principles was developed by ACA to educate the public about the values supported by its members. Commitment to the guidelines is optional, but as a condition of membership all members must abide by the association’s stringent code of ethics. The mandatory code of ethics establishes minimum standards of practice, including legal compliance, while the Statement of Practices outlines key areas of patient communications, business relationships and quality assurance that members serving the health care market should always strive to achieve. The complete Statement of Principles can be viewed online at: http://www.acainternational.org/?cid=10281.

Financial Control Services is a 19-year old company specializing in health care receivables management. Based in Waco, Texas, FCS serves over 150 clients in the health care field.