Advice needed - Account sent to lawyers with no warning or phone call.

[PsYTraNc3]

I ended up at the emergency section of Melomed nearly a year ago and forgot to call for authorisation from my medical aid.

They ended up using my savings, depleted it and then I received a few bills from different places that I had to pay. (x-ray, blood tests, doctor and sundries used)
Would have helped if it was all in one bill!

My problem is, one slipped though the cracks.
A small amount of just over R300 which I would have had no problem with paying!

They have now, after a year, handed the account over to DPP attorneys without issuing a warning to me or calling.
I called Melomed and asked if I could just pay the amount and that apparently is not possible?

My credit record is perfect and I will be applying for a home loan soon so worried about how this would affect my record.

What to do?

EDIT: I found the statement I received last year. should I just pay it?

 

[xrapidx]

I'm actually interested in the responses, I've found that companies like Discovery sometimes don't pay, or only pay what they deem fit, and you don't get notified, either by the doctor, or Discovery.

 

[PsYTraNc3]

I'm just going to pay it

 

[maumau]

I'm just going to pay it

Yeah, that's what I'd do.

 

[Tman*]

Hmm, problem is, if its been sent to the lawyers, they will likely want to add their "admin" charge to the bill.

I would settle the bill, and send proof their of to both lawyers and medial aid by registered mail. Hopefully the amount is so small that the lawyers write it off.

 

[PsYTraNc3]

Hmm, problem is, if its been sent to the lawyers, they will likely want to add their "admin" charge to the bill.

I would settle the bill, and send proof their of to both lawyers and medial aid by registered mail. Hopefully the amount is so small that the lawyers write it off.

I have just paid the account and then contacted the lawyers.
They were very helpful and understood my situation completely...

I was told that they will contact the doctor to verify payment and then find out if Dr will withdraw the account (he is not liable to)
If not, there will be another amount of R280 that I have to pay and once done, I was told that there will be absolutely no trace of the incident on my credit record.
That was my main concern.

I did a credit report a few months ago and everything was perfect as usual on there too.
Should this unpaid account not have been listed?

 

[RichardG]

I'm just going to pay it

Do that. Once you pay they will update the information with ITC accordingly

 

[Ancalagon]

I hope this doesn't happen to me. I had an operation last year, and Discovery paid for most but not all of it. I made sure that the specialist was fine with it - he was.

Not sure about the anaesthetist though. I think I asked the hospital if I owed anything else, but they said not. I mean, there were other accounts that I owed on (and paid) for things like radiology etc. I'm hoping the anaesthetist would have contacted me if I owed him money - through the hospital. The hospital forwarded all of the other accounts to me.

 

[Hemi300c]

Pay the R300 to DPP Attorneys and walk away.

 

[Emjay]

They ended up using my savings, depleted it and then I received a few bills from different places that I had to pay. (x-ray, blood tests, doctor and sundries used)
Would have helped if it was all in one bill!

My problem is, one slipped though the cracks.
A small amount of just over R300 which I would have had no problem with paying!

This happened to me recently as well. I was hospitalised for double kidney stones in October 2013. The bill was then raised in 2014 and I only received notification from the collection agency a few weeks ago. I assume that the two are related. It's a small amount of R90, but the amount has been inflated to R160. I also have not received any confirmation on who their customer is or what the amount is for. It was just presented as a statement.

I sent an email querying this, and have not received a response. I think I am just going to pay it.

 

[marco79]

I ended up at the emergency section of Melomed nearly a year ago and forgot to call for authorisation from my medical aid.

They ended up using my savings, depleted it and then I received a few bills from different places that I had to pay. (x-ray, blood tests, doctor and sundries used)
Would have helped if it was all in one bill!

My problem is, one slipped though the cracks.
A small amount of just over R300 which I would have had no problem with paying!

They have now, after a year, handed the account over to DPP attorneys without issuing a warning to me or calling.
I called Melomed and asked if I could just pay the amount and that apparently is not possible?

My credit record is perfect and I will be applying for a home loan soon so worried about how this would affect my record.

What to do?

EDIT: I found the statement I received last year. should I just pay it?

I too only found out that I was handed over for R400 which Discovery never paid when my wife gave birth. I only found out when applying for a homeloan in 2010, that was when my son was 3 years old. I struggled 3 months to get everything cleared for the homeloan to be approved.

 

[ToxicBunny]

I have just paid the account and then contacted the lawyers.
They were very helpful and understood my situation completely...

I was told that they will contact the doctor to verify payment and then find out if Dr will withdraw the account (he is not liable to)
If not, there will be another amount of R280 that I have to pay and once done, I was told that there will be absolutely no trace of the incident on my credit record.
That was my main concern.

I did a credit report a few months ago and everything was perfect as usual on there too.
Should this unpaid account not have been listed?

Since the doctor didn't notify you of the bill or outstanding fees, he has no option but to withdraw the account, you are not liable to pay DPP a single cent and I would tell them precisely where to get off if they try get it from you if the doctor doesn't "withdraw" the account.

 

[boxerulez]

I have just paid the account and then contacted the lawyers.
They were very helpful and understood my situation completely...

I was told that they will contact the doctor to verify payment and then find out if Dr will withdraw the account (he is not liable to)
If not, there will be another amount of R280 that I have to pay and once done, I was told that there will be absolutely no trace of the incident on my credit record.
That was my main concern.

I did a credit report a few months ago and everything was perfect as usual on there too.
Should this unpaid account not have been listed?

The doctor is not a registered credit provider. They only list you once the whole saga has been in court and granted ruled in favour of doctor. Thats my understanding anyways. You never signed a credit agreement with that doctor.