§ 127457 Patient Debt Collection Notice

(a) After the period described in Section 127455, and upon the completion of appeals consistent with Section 127456, prior to commencing further collection activities against a patient, the emergency physician, any assignee of the emergency physician, or other owner of the patient debt, including a collection agency, shall not report adverse information to a consumer credit reporting agency or commence a civil action, until after the patient has been provided with a clear and conspicuous written notice containing both of the following: (1) A plain language summary of the patient’s rights pursuant to this article, the Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (Title 1.6C (commencing with Section 1788) of Part 4 of Division 3 of the Civil Code), and the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (Subchapter V (commencing with Section 1692) of Chapter 41 of Title 15 of the United States Code). The summary shall include a statement that the Federal Trade Commission enforces the federal act. The summary shall be sufficient if it appears in substantially the following form: “State and federal law require debt collectors to treat you fairly and prohibit debt collectors from making false statements or threats of violence, using obscene or profane language, and making improper communications with third parties, including your employer. Except under unusual circumstances, debt collectors may not contact you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. In general, a debt collector may not give information about your debt to another person, other than your attorney or spouse. A debt collector may contact another person to confirm your location or to enforce a judgment. For more information about debt collection activities, you may contact the Federal Trade Commission by telephone at 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357) or online at www.ftc.gov.” (2) A statement that nonprofit credit counseling services may be available in the area. (b) The notice required by subdivision (a) shall also accompany any document indicating that the commencement of collection activities may occur. (c) The requirements of this section shall apply to the entity engaged in reporting adverse information to a consumer credit reporting agency or commencing a civil action against the patient. If an emergency physician assigns or sells the debt to another entity, the obligations shall apply to the entity, including a collection agency, engaged in the debt collection activity. (Added by Stats. 2010, Ch. 445, Sec. 4. (AB 1503) Effective January 1, 2011.)