What are my options if aphysician’s office has turned me over to a collection agency and refuses to accept payment of debt?

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What are my options if aphysician’s office has turned me over to a collection agency and refuses to accept payment of debt?

I offered to pay the debt in full to the physicians office but they said I did not have a balance because it had already been turned over to bad debt. They would not accept payment and said I would have to pay the collection agency. I do not want to have to pay the agency; I would like to pay the physician directly.

Asked on December 28, 2011 under Bankruptcy Law, Alabama

Answers:

FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 12 years ago | Contributor

Unfortunately, if the debt has been turned over to the collection aganecy by the doctor's office that you went to, the doctor's office has most likely assigned all interests it has in the debt to the third party collection company and as such, no longer has an interest in the debt.

Since this seems to be what happened, your recourse assuming you want the debt paid off is to pay the third party collection company the amount owed, preferably in some form other than cash so that you have a receipt for what you paid.


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