MedFico

Here are several links to information about the proposed "MedFico" plan.

ZDNET

It is impossible at this time to determine if this plan will be covered under the FTC statutes of the FCRA or FACTA or any other Federal or State Consumer Protection statutes.
In the interim, I suggest that everyone avail themselves of any and all resources from this website to obtain deletions of delinquent medical accounts from their credit reports.
In addition, the following preemptive steps may be taken if you have been hospitalized or treated as an outpatient at any hospital within the past 6 years.

Obtain your MIB records:

MIB RECORD REQUEST

Send the following to any HOSPITAL that shows a date of service within the past 6 years.
Name
Address
SS#
DOB

HIPAA Privacy Officer
( name of hospital)
address

To whom it may concern;
With regard to my signed HIPAA authorization(s)
Under the HIPAA Privacy Rule you are required to disclose PHI to me upon my request to access PHI or for an accounting or certain disclosures of PHI about myself.
You were also allowed, under Incidental Disclosures, to use or disclose PHI incident to a use or disclosure permitted by HIPAA Privacy Rule so long as you had reasonably safeguarded against such incidental uses and disclosures and had limited them to the minimum necessary information.
Please withdraw my authorization under the HIPAA disclosure obtained for any and all PHI regarding any of my services as listed at your facility.
Date Of Service xx/xx/xxxx
The purpose of this withdrawal of authorization is to prohibit my PHI records from being provided to any type of credit data service or credit rating service as proposed under the "MedFico" plan.

Very truly yours,

SIGNED Name
Send this CMRR

MEDICAL BILLING ADVOCATES

SOME HITECH RELIEF IN SIGHT

The recently passed federal stimulus package includes changes to federal health information privacy and security provisions under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, that will affect physician practices. According to health care policy experts, however, the extent of that impact remains to be seen.
Put very bluntly, the small medical practice is going to face additional costs for health IT implementation as a result of the HITECH Act's amendments to HIPAA. -- David C. Kibbe, M.D., Senior adviser, AAFP Center for Health IT
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health, or HITECH, Act, which is intended to promote widespread adoption of health IT, was incorporated into the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, (Page 144; 407-page PDF; About PDFs) which was signed into law on Feb. 17.
According to provisions in the legislation, physicians now will be required to track any disclosure of a patient's medical information. Previous regulations allowed physicians to disclose patient information for the purpose of treatment, payment or health care operations, but they were not required to track when that information was disclosed.

MORE PROBLEMS ON THE WAY

BLOG ON HEALTH CARE FINANCING AND COLLECTIONS

NEW HEALTH CARE COLLECTION AND PAYMENT SYSTEM

INTERVIEW WITH NEW EXPERIAN OWNED SEARCH AMERICA CA

BestHealthcareRates.com Advises Consumers to Request MIB File Before Medical Insurance Reforms Take Effect
ARROYO GRANDE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BestHealthcareRates.com urges consumers to obtain copies of their MIB file in wake of the changes to the medical insurance market that sweeping government healthcare reform could pose.
With so much uncertainty swirling around the prospect of government-run healthcare, BestHealthcareRates.com believes consumers should exercise control over their medical insurance options to the greatest extent possible.
One way to do that is to ensure that inaccurate information is not preventing them from obtaining the medical insurance for which they rightly qualify. A consumer can only know if the information being used by insurance companies is accurate if they request their file from the MIB Group.
The MIB Group is a membership-owned corporation that maintains information files on many Americans who have applied for individual medical insurance, family medical insurance or a life insurance policy. Health insurance companies in deciding whether to extend coverage to an individual use information contained in that file. The type of information, which the MIB collects and distributes, includes medical conditions, results of tests, unhealthy lifestyle choices, potentially hazardous occupations or hobbies and driving histories, such as traffic tickets.
“Choice” is the rallying cry of both sides of the debate over healthcare reform. Citizens and politicians alike have voiced concerns over whether individuals will still be able to retain their current medical insurance coverage if new government-run healthcare options were to emerge. BestHealthcareRates.com suggests that consumers retain their right to choice by first protecting their choice. If false negative information is contained in your MIB file, then your choice has already been limited. Approximately 470 insurance companies belong to the MIB, which means any information the MIB has about you and your health will affect whether or not any of those 470 companies will insure you. The good news is that the MIB is subject to the US Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, which means individuals, have a right to a copy of their MIB file. Cost is another hot button issue in the healthcare reform debate. The cost of medical insurance plans is also an issue in which BestHealthcareRates.com has a deeply vested interest. The company is committed to connecting consumers with the most affordable medical insurance options available to them. In furtherance of this commitment, BestHealthcareRates.com wants consumers to know that what’s in their MIB file could be costing them.
A person’s overall health affects the amount of money they pay for their medical coverage. If an MIB file paints an inaccurate picture of your health, says BestHealthcareRates.com, you could be paying more for your medical insurance plan than you would otherwise have to. That is yet another reason why BestHealthcareRates.com encourages consumers to call the MIB’s toll-free number (866-692-6901) to request a copy of their file, if one exists.
For additional information, Contact: online at http://www.BestHealthcareRates.com/.

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