The harassing company pays our fees.
Professional Medical Management, Inc.(PMM) is a third-party Accounts Receivable Management company specializing in medical billing and collections. PMM has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), including misrepresentation and failure to verify debts. If you have been contacted by PMM, make sure you understand your rights before responding.
According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), PMM was founded and incorporated in 2001. The BBB established PMM’s profile page in 2002. PMM is listed as a medical business administration corporation.
According to its website, PMM “offers services and resources specifically designed to assist providers and their staff to be more automated, efficient and productive.” PMM cites as its strengths over 20 years of experience in medical billing, a passion for exceeding expectations, and a goal of providing a superior customer experience and tremendous value for customers.
PMM’s primary service is medical billing and coding. This division employs experienced medical billing professionals, including “refund specialists, payment posters[,] and patient account specialists.” Their medical billing and coding staff offer the following services to healthcare providers: demographic and charge entry using HL-7 interfaces; electronic claim submission; payment posting; accounts receivable management; denied claims processing; and patient billing, medical coding, and refunds. In addition, they offer third-party collections for delinquent healthcare bills. PMM also provides off-site IT services for hospitals and other healthcare providers. Their IT services offer state-of-the-art technology in modern, secure facilities.
Their website does not provide any detailed information about their business practices, compliance policies, or employee training. There are no links or references to consumer protection laws, resources, or enforcement agencies.
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 received only 1 complaint against PMM. In September 2016, a complainant indicated a problem with their product or service. Since May 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has received 20 complaints about PMM. Justia lists at least 1 case of civil litigation naming PMM as a defendant.
Absolutely. Here are some Sample Cases against Professional Medical Management, Inc.
In September 2016, a judge issued an Opinion in a case alleging PMM had violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). In this case, the plaintiff’s husband incurred a debt for medical treatment, and the unpaid bill was eventually sent to PMM for collection. PMM sent the plaintiff’s husband a collection notice, and the wording in the collection notice is the subject of the case. The collection provided the recipient with the notice required by the FDCPA that, “unless, within 30 days after receipt of this notice, you dispute the validity of the debt or any portion thereof, we will assume the debt to be valid”; and that, “if, within 30 days after your receipt of this notice, you notify us in writing that the debt or any portion thereof is disputed, we will obtain a verification of the debt or, if the debt is founded upon a judgment, a copy of any such judgment, and we will mail to you a copy of such verification or judgment.” However, the plaintiff in this case complained that the language that preceded this notification violated the FDCPA prohibition against using “false, deceptive, and misleading” tactics by stating, “To avoid further contact from this office regarding your past due account, please send the balance due to our office and include the top portion of this letter with your payment.” The plaintiff argued that this statement implied that the only way to have PMM cease collection efforts is to pay the amount stated in the collection notice, and that this request “overshadowed” the plaintiff’s right to dispute the debt, which was stated in a different part of the letter.
In reaching a decision, the court cited other cases in which collection notices were similarly organized—a demand for payment followed by a statement of the consumer’s right to dispute the debt. In this case, the court cited a decision in a previous case that cited an identical letter and found that the language was not misleading. The court noted that the previous case had not been precedent-setting. Furthermore, it indicated that in similar cases in which potentially confusing language was cited as a violation, the language demanding payment in those cases had been more aggressively and more deceptively worded. Although the court acknowledged the potential for abuse of the FDCPA in the current case, they issued an Opinion that agreed with the decision in the earlier case that cited identical language.
Professional Medical Management, Inc.
4200 University Ave., Suite 104
West Des Moines, IA 50266
Telephone: (515) 226-2122
Website: https://www.promedm.com/
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).
But here’s the rub: If you want to enforce your rights, or recover money for violations — you need to sue. These 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.
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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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