Consumer complaint received 2018-10-11
Company: NPAS, Inc.
State: WV
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Medical debt
Issue: Communication tactics
Sub-issue: Used obscene, profane, or other abusive language

Complaint:
I have now twice received what appear to be collections agency letters, instead of bills from my medical provider. And, yesterday I received a phone call from the collections company ( billing agency for the hospital ), that used debt collector tactics that may be in violation of the Fair Debt Collections Practice Act. 
The hospital is XXXX XXXX Hospital, billing address XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, VA XXXX, phone number XXXX. 
The collections agency ( billing company ) is NPAS, Inc. XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX KY XXXX, phone number XXXX. 
The first letter I received from NPAS, Inc. for a bill for which I never received a bill from the hospital, caused me to call the hospital billing directly. I asked them who this NPAS, Inc. was, why I received what appeared to be a collections letter, and why I had not received a bill from the hospital directly, which I had received prior to these events regularly. I have always, prior to the conduct by the hospitals billing and NPAS, Inc.,  received a bill from the hospital, and always paid them on time. I did not receive a satisfactory response to my inquiries, but was able to pay the bill, in full over the phone. This occurred in XX/XX/2018 
At the beginning ofXX/XX/2018, I received yet another collections looking letter from NPAS , Inc., without having ever received a bill from the hospital directly. This letter is attached. I again, immediately called the hospital billing, advised them of the letter, and asked them to generate a bill for me, which the hospital billing CSR said she was going to do. 
XX/XX/2018, I received a collections like phone call from NPAS , Inc . The female calling at first refused to identify from what company/agency she was calling, instead demanding that I confirm if I was Mr. XXXX. I persisted through her very rude behavior and she eventually admitted that she was calling from NPAS, Inc. Once she finally divulged this and the purpose of the call, I told her of my conversation with the hospital, and that I had been assured by the hospital that a bill would be forthcoming. She told me the call was being recorded, more intimidation tactics. She then proceeded to demand that I be transferred to what she referred to as an account specialist. I asked if the account specialist was in fact a collections agency. She rudely refused to answer again, and demanded I allow myself to be transferred to an account specialist, and again stated the phone call was being recorded. At that point I stated to her that I was calling the hospital billing department an

d hung up the phone

. The conduct of the agent from NPA
S, Inc. was rude, evasive and clearly an attempt at intimidation. What makes this truly despicable, is that I pay my bills on time, but now the hospital has apparently resorted to the tactic of not bothering to send a bill and instead using a collections like agency from the start. I suppose the hospital can bill how they want, but NPAS, Inc.s conduct may have violated the Fair Debt Collections Practice Act, and I ask you to investigate this.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation