A servicing proposal should explain how work moves from an unpaid account to a documented resolution. Before choosing a vendor, ask it to demonstrate the process using an approved, non-patient example. The goal is to understand the decisions your practice retains, the information it receives and the steps required to leave.
Define the work being purchased
List the tasks the proposal includes: document review, account reconciliation, case-status follow-up, payment posting and dispute handling. Ask which tasks cost extra. Clarify whether the engagement includes collections only or also financing, receivable purchases or patient coordination. Use the servicing, financing and sale framework to keep unlike proposals separate.
Identify who can adjust balances or agree to a reduction. Ask for the approval process, thresholds and evidence retained for each decision. A practice should be able to tell whether a reported balance changed because of a payment, credit, negotiated reduction or correction.
Inspect the reporting
Request a sample report showing opening balance, additions, payments, credits, fees and closing balance for the same period. Ask how the report reconciles to remittances and your own ledger. Evaluate the treatment of unresolved accounts rather than focusing only on the accounts that paid.
Ask how performance is calculated. A claimed collection rate needs a denominator, a time period and an explanation of exclusions. Historical collections do not establish what your portfolio will yield. Compare cohorts with similar age and documentation before treating a sales presentation as a forecast.
Review communications and disputes
Find out who responds when a patient or attorney disputes a balance. Ask how a corrected bill reaches every party that previously received the old version. The CFPB explains limits on misleading collection of medical debt. Counsel should determine which requirements apply to the entities and activities involved; do not assume every practice and vendor has the same legal role.
Require a clear escalation route for contested authority, suspected duplicate billing and complaints. Speed is not useful if a disputed account is repeatedly pursued with the wrong balance.
Check data handling and exit terms
Have the privacy reviewer examine permitted uses, access roles, subcontractors, incident handling and return or retention of information. HHS's Privacy Rule summary provides background, but a vendor's general compliance claim does not replace review of the actual arrangement.
Before signing, ask how the practice exports account history, reconciles pending payments and transfers open work at termination. Identify any fees and continuing collection rights. Have counsel review the contract and the operations team test the sample export.
See preparing receivables for sale if the proposal includes a purchase. Injury Med Map's provider page concerns the directory; it should not be read as a servicing recommendation or financing application.