Problem: Article: HIPAA is the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act. You should be informed of your HIPAA rights when you start treatment with a new doctor, such as when you are admitted to a hospital or when you see a doctor for the first time. In general, HIPAA gives you the right to access your medical information and keep it private. This means that you have the right to: ask for a copy of your medical records. request corrections to your medical records. be notified about how your information may be used or shared. decide how your information may be used. get a report on how your information was used. file a complaint if you think your information is not being handled properly. You are entitled to your medical records. This is federal law and a hospital cannot withhold records for any reason, including delinquent payment. As stated, hospitals can charge for paper but they cannot charge a searching fee. If a facility tries to refuse to release your records, or demands a hefty sum of money for their release, talk to an attorney. Refusal to release medical records is rare, but does sometimes occur. Understand this is illegal. While you are legally entitled to most medical records, a doctor has the legal right to refuse to release certain documents regarding your medical history. These documents include: Personal notes Information regarding a minor over the age of 12, if the minor objects Any information the physician believes will cause substantial harm to you or others Information obtained from other physicians Substance abuse records or mental health records In some cases, you might want or need certain information a doctor can legally refuse to release. If, for example, you're transferring to a specialist a doctor's personal notes and observations can provide your new physician important insight into your condition. There is an appeal process if your provider refuses to release certain records. Regulations vary from state to state. Most states require you file a written appeal, citing your reasons for needing the information, to the Department of Health. Your provider must then submit an explanation for his or her refusal. A judge or committee decides whether or not the information should be released. If you win your appeal, your provider must legally release the documents. If you lose the appeal, the decision is final.
Summary: Know your HIPAA Rights. Know you are entitled to your medical records. Understand what information doctors can withhold. Appeal a refusal, if necessary.

Problem: Article: Sit down low in your seat. Hold the book to your eye level and begin reading. Keep your line of sight toward the book at the same level as your line of sight out of the window. Looking downward while your side vision registers movement from outside the window causes symptoms of motion sickness. Keep your head up and your lines of vision on an equal plane. Avoid developing motion sickness by blocking the side vision entirely. Use your hand or a window curtain to do this. If you are on a ship, go beneath the deck and move toward the center where you are likely to experience the least amount of movement. Pivot your body so that your back is to the window closest to you. This will stop your eyes from seeing movement in your peripheral vision. Cars don't have many seating options, but larger vehicles like buses, boats, and planes do. When reading on a boat or plane, find a place to sit where you won't feel the motion of the vehicle. On a boat, sit in the lower cabins near the center. On a plane, sit close to the wings. If you're on the bus, avoid sitting in the back where you'll feel more bumps and have less access to fresh air. When it is dark outside it is much harder to see out of the windows. If you can't see out of the window, you are less likely to get motion sickness. Bring a flashlight or book light to only light up the words on the page.
Summary: Slouch in your seat and hold the book at eye level. Cover your peripheral vision. Turn your back to the window. Sit in an area with the least amount of movement. Read at night.

Problem: Article: If your initial agreement didn't have a strict due date, then you will have to make that determination on your own. Decide how much you trust the person to pay without you directly asking. Take the amount owed into consideration. A small debt may not be worth pursuing right away, while a larger debt might take some time to collect. If you are owed money in the course of a business transaction, ask for it as soon as possible. Waiting on the debt will only make it harder to collect. Once you have passed that date, make a request for the money. At this stage, all you want to do is make sure that the debtor is aware that their debt hasn't been paid. Sometimes people just forget, and a friendly reminder is all they need. More formally, this is called an "inquiry contact." Don't demand payment, instead offer a reminder ("Do you remember the money you owe me?") that allows the debtor to save face. Include all relevant information when asking about the debt. You should be prepared to provide the amount given, when you received the last payment, the amount owed, any payment arrangements you are willing to accept, contact information for you, and a clear due date. If you are dealing with a company or client, it can be helpful to make this inquiry in the form of a letter. This gives you a paper trail if the situation escalates. For a due date, 10 to 20 days from the date the debtor receives a letter can be a good timeframe. It is in the foreseeable future but not close enough that the debtor feels panicked. It may not be worth it to you to wait for the full amount. If the amount is small, or you do not believe the person will be able to pay, consider letting them provide something else in return. Providing a service or other favors will work if that arrangement is acceptable to you. If this is the case, be clear about the offer and collect as quickly as possible. Don't be too quick to bargain, as this may send the message that the debt can be negotiated down, or that the debtor can take even more time. These are called "demand contacts." If the debtor does not respond to your request, you should be more direct. Make sure it is clear that you expect immediate payment or a definite commitment to payment, and provide clear instructions for making that payment. Your language here should be more direct, and show some urgency. Phrases like "You need to pay now," or "We need to come to an arrangement now" let the debtor know you are serious, and you are not willing to negotiate further. Include clear consequences for not paying. Let the debtor know what you plan to do if you do not receive proper payment on time, and be prepared to follow through. If you don't receive any payment resulting from the demand contact, then chances are that the debtor either doesn't have the money or just doesn't feel like paying. It's your job to make them prioritize you through multiple contacts by phone, letter, e-mail, or in person, so that they decide to pay you before they pay someone else (or head for the hills). Hiring a third party to conduct your claim lets the debtor know you are serious, and can free you up from the hassle of contact and arranging payment. Collection agencies will charge as much as 50% of the payment for their services, so you need to decide if the partial payment is better than nothing. If the payment for a collection agency is too steep, you may consider skipping this step, and going to small claims court. If you are collecting your own debts, there are certain practices that may be illegal in your state. There is a federal law that may apply to you if you could be considered a debt collector under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. In all likelihood, you will not be subject to that law but you will still need to comply with the laws of your state. While each state's laws will differ, you should generally stay away from the following tactics: Calling at unreasonable hours; Adding additional fees; Purposely delaying collection in order to add more fees; Telling the debtor's employer about the debt; Lying about the debt owed; Making false threats to the debtor.
Summary:
Determine at what point you don't believe you will receive payment without asking. Inquire politely about the money. Decide if you will accept alternate forms of payment. Be more forceful in your payment requests. Continue escalating the rigor of your collection activities. Hire a collection agency. Know what you cannot do.