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Wouldn't HIPAA have been violated in the alleged instances of collectors showing up at bed sides or confronting people awaiting care? They wouldn't have known to go after these people without being alerted by hospital staff or some system that dings whenever someone checked into the facility. But you can't release information about people currently in the hospital/receiving healthcare without their written consent. Even if it's presumed the person wouldn't pay their bill, it doesn't mean you can violate their right of privacy to get them to pay a past due bill. I would gather you would need to wait until after that bill is past due before alerting the agency.
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