Professional Claims Bureau or PCB is a third-party collection agency based in New York state that specializes in healthcare collections. PCB has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), including attempting to collect debts not owed and improper contact or sharing of information. If you have been contacted by Professional Claims Bureau, make sure you understand your rights before taking action.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Professional Claims Bureau, Inc. was founded and incorporated in 1964. The BBB established a profile page for PCB in 1965. Professional Claims Bureau is listed as a collection agency and medical business administrator. Buzzfile estimates PCB’s annual revenue at $7 million and the size of its headquarters staff at 93 employees.
According to its website, Professional Claims Bureau “is the leading full-service healthcare revenue cycle management solutions provider.” PCB employs “experts in helping clients realize increased revenue while cutting unnecessary costs and has partnered with hospitals and physician practices to achieve excellent results and forge lasting partnerships.”
Professional Claims Bureau is “100% Dedicated to healthcare revenue cycle management.” As a “full-service …revenue cycle solutions partner,” PCB offers “customizable solutions to meet the needs of each individual client.” Solutions include insurance follow-up that “leverages…knowledge of patient collections with claims expertise to recover funds…that would otherwise have gone unpaid”; medical practice management that includes “medical billing…follow-up, payment posting, and denial management”; revenue cycle consulting to implement methods of “optimizing cash flow and efficiency while reducing…expenses”; receivables management services, including early-out and first-party billing; and custom revenue cycle solutions that include website design, consulting, and customized calling and notification systems.
Finally, Professional Claims Bureau’s medical debt collection service “helps…turn bad debt self-pay balances into profitable insurance accounts through… specialized data mining processes, and…PCB’s ability to work with… patients to uncover previously unknown coverage.”
Professional Claims Bureau’s For Patients page provides links and web-based contact forms to make payments, submit insurance information, dispute bills, report bankruptcies, and update contact information. Their Privacy Policy indicates adherence to the FDCPA. However, there is no mention of their compliance policy with regard to the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); nor is there a
Who are we? We are Lemberg Law, a Consumer Law Firm
Lemberg Law is a consumer law firm helping victims of collection harassment and abuse. We are ranked A+ by the BBB. We’ve helped more than 15,000 consumers stop harassment and recover money from debt collectors. Harassed? Abused? Misled by a collector? Call our Helpline today! There is no charge unless we win.
The BBB has closed 7 complaints against Professional Claims Bureau in the preceding 3 years, with 4 complaints closed in the past 12 months. All Of those complaints alleged problems with billing and collections. Since November 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has closed 9 complaints against PCB. Justia lists at least 11 cases of civil litigation involving Professional Claims Bureau.
Professional Claims Bureau, Inc.
439 Oak St.
Garden City, NY 11530-6453
Telephone: (516) 681-1122
Website: https://www.pcbinc.org/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely Professional Claims Bureau would sue you for a debt you may not owe or they cannot validate. However, debt collection agencies are known to have summoned debtors to court and garnish wages after a default judgement. Contacting an attorney BEFORE this could possibly happen would be a smart move. We’ve helped thousands of consumers fight back against unscrupulous debt collection harassers. Find out if we can help you too today!
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Unlawful Debt Harassment? Learn the Law & Sue the Collector.
Absolutely. You can sue a debt collector. Here is a Sample Complaint:
Complaints against Professional Claims Bureau commonly cite problems resulting from billing disputes. In April 2017, a complainant indicated that she had “received several letters from” PCB but did not recognize the creditor or the physician named in the letters. The complainant contacted her insurance company, but after investigating the alleged charges, they could not identify the physician named in the letter, either. The complainant contacted Professional Claims Bureau and the medical provider directly. PCB “did not provide any information but only asked for payment.” When the complainant’s insurance company attempted a 3-way call to resolve the dispute, “the representative of PCB did not give out any additional …information about what triggered the collection,” and the complainant insisted she had “not received any statement from the” healthcare provider. None of the calls to the healthcare provider were answered. The complainant insisted that it is “common business practice” to provide accurate billing documentation and requested a “signed agreement… with a detailed statement of service and the original invoice without which the insurance cannot pay.” In addition, the complainant indicated she had not“received any invoice before …. or after receiving the collection letter from Professional Claims Bureau.”
In response, Professional Claims Bureau indicated the account had been assigned by a paramedic company for ambulance transport that took place in August 2016. They indicated they were always willing to provide any information requested by any caller, as long as they provide the required identification information. PCB also indicated they had contacted the complainant’s insurance provider, billed them for the service, and indicated their intention to submit billing. They indicated that all further account activity will be handled by the insurance company, and that PCB would not contact the complainant again. The complainant posted a rebuttal indicating their efforts to resolve the billing error had caused a great deal of anxiety; she requested clarification to ensure that PCB would not be contacting her again. Professional Claims Bureau posted a reply restating their intention to deal exclusively with the complainant’s insurance carrier.
Federal laws protect you. The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) regulates the behavior of collection agencies by prohibiting actions such as the use of abusive or threatening language; harassment; or the use of false or misleading information to collect a debt. The FCRA regulates how collection agencies and creditors report delinquent debts to credit reporting agencies. Additional consumer protection laws include the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA).
Yes. If you want to enforce your rights, or recover money for violations — you need to sue. Federal laws provide individuals like you with a means to seek monetary damages in court. For example, the FDCPA allows consumers who have been violated to recover damages of up to $1,000, plus attorney fees and court costs.
You may have a case, if…
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Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."
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