Introduction
ACA members will be increasingly important to health care providers as they strive to be good stewards in their communities. But with billing and collection practices facing scrutiny from lawmakers and the media, health care collectors and debt buyers must provide their clients every assurance that patient accounts will be collected professionally, ethically, and in a way consistent with the provider’s care-driven mission. ACA members have always been sensitive to the needs of providers, and in ACA’s Statement of Principles and Guidelines, they have a new tool for communicating that respect and dedication to their health care clients.
Click here for the full Statement of Principles document.
Frequently asked questions
The following points will help you anticipate client questions and explain how the guidelines affect your relationship with them as well as with their patients.
What exactly is a Statement of Principles?
Trade associations and professional societies often adopt these "guiding principles" to educate the public about the values espoused by their members. A Statement of Principles usually addresses a specific need of an industry and helps the members of the trade association confront a problem impacting their ability to do business.
In short, the Statement of Principles functions as a road map for ACA members but does not set minimum standards of performance or mandate compliance with such practices. But the principles are significant, because they reflect a consensus among members of the collection industry about the level and quality of services or products we strive to offer.
Why is the Statement of Principles necessary?
Health care providers are looking for assurances from debt purchasers and servicers that their patient relationships will be managed appropriately. Negative publicity was one of the biggest concerns expressed by the providers involved in drafting ACA’s Statement of Principles. By pledging our support of these guidelines, we want to assure you that our collection practices are aligned with your care-driven mission. The document may also serve as a checklist of items to consider before entering into future a debt sale, collection or servicing agreement.
How does ACA’s Statement of Principles differ from ACA’s Code of Ethics?
There’s nothing optional about following the Code of Ethics. It mandates minimum requirements we have to meet as a condition of our ACA membership. Failing to comply with any provision of the ACA Code of Ethics can result in serious penalties, including expulsion from ACA. In contrast, the Statement of Principles is intended to highlight the values, practices and levels of service we and our colleagues strive to reach. Compliance with the Statement of Principles is voluntary while compliance with the ACA Code of Ethics is mandatory.
Why is signing ACA’s Statement of Principles voluntary?
ACA put together the statement of principles as a client-relations tool for its members. It is up to each individual debt buyer/collection agency to decide if it wants to operate under that framework. By signing the optional Confirmation of Commitment clause, we’re "going public" with our internal pledge to represent you positively. We’re proud to hold ourselves out as an example of the professional practices used by today’s collection industry.
How will ACA’s Statement of Principles be enforced?
We’re making a voluntary commitment to these principles, so ACA enforcement doesn’t apply. But in sharing the principles with you, we’re going beyond the accountability already assured through our business agreement to demonstrate that our company has taken your core values and internalized them in order to best meet your needs. We want you to rely on this representation of our services, so it may be beneficial to include the Statement of Principles document as an addendum to our business associate agreements.
How does the document apply to debt purchasing? How does it apply to contingency collection?
The document is intended to encompass all servicers of health care debt, including buyers, brokers, resellers, those who provide "value-added" services to a debt portfolio and those who collect it. At every point along the life cycle of an account, patients should be treated with dignity and respect. Recall, resale or other transfer should be done only in accordance with our business agreement.
How will the Statement of Principles help me?
Stakeholder groups will continue to be interested in your system’s billing and collection practices. The Statement of Principles may be useful as you respond to those concerns. When you can show your executives, directors and members of the community that all collection efforts will be carried out in a socially sensitive manner built on trust and compassion, you’re able to make a more meaningful response.
Additional items to share as you discuss the Statement of Principles with health care clients
- Use the visit as an opportunity to review your call scripts with the client.
- Does your agency implement a quality assurance program, such as ACA’s Professional Practices Management System? Review the program with the client to explain how you ensure you’re delivering services of measurable, repeatable and consistent quality.
- Do you implement an employee Code of Conduct? Explain that your employees have affirmed their personal commitment to professional practices, in addition to the company’s commitment to the Statement of Principles.
- Share information about ACA International and how your ACA membership demonstrates professionalism. Refer to the website for ACA’s governing documents and Code of Ethics.
- ACA recently conducted an economic impact study to demonstrate the important role collectors play in the U.S. economy. Share the study with your clients to remind them that the ethical collection of debt benefits everyone.
- Want to help your clients stay up to date on health care collection trends? Consider providing them a subscription to the monthly newsletter of ACA’s Health Care Services Section, Pulse.
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