ACA Pledge To Collect Health Care Debt with Dignity

NEWS RELEASE

Brent Anderson
Summit A*R
763.712.3778
banderson@summitcollects.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Collection Agency Pledges to Collect Health Care Debts with Dignity, Respect

(Champlin,MN 2/22/2012) As local health care providers continue to develop patient-friendly billing and
collection practices, one area collection agency is advancing the effort through its voluntary commitment to a new set of principles endorsed by ACA International, the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals (ACA).

Summit A*R, a Minnesota collection agency based in Champlin has always complied with the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and other applicable laws and regulations, but has taken its commitment to professionalism a step further by pledging to uphold ACA’s
“Health Care Collection, Servicing and Debt Purchasing Practices—Statement of Principles and
Guidelines.” The Statement of Principles is a road map to help ACA members align their practices with the care-driven mission of their health care clients. “Patients should always be treated with dignity and respect,” said Brent Anderson, Director of Business Development for Summit A*R. “Our health care clients expect us to represent them positively when we contact a patient regarding a past due bill. It’s part of the entire patient experience at their facilities. We all benefit from a financially sound health care system, and in today’s environment, that increasingly depends on help from collection agencies like Summit AR,” said Anderson. “By committing to the ACA Statement of Principles, we hold ourselves out as an
example of professionalism and assure our health care clients that their accounts will be collected
in a socially sensitive manner. Our company has always been respectful of health care providers’
needs, and with the Statement of Principles we have a new tool for communicating that respect to
our clients,” said Anderson.

The Statement of Principles was developed by ACA to educate the public about the
values espoused by its members. Commitment to the guidelines is optional, but as a condition of
membership all members must abide by the association’s stringent code of ethics. The mandatory
code of ethics establishes minimum standards of practice, including legal compliance, while the
Statement of Practices outlines key areas of patient communications, business relationships and
quality assurance that members serving the health care market should strive to achieve. The
complete Statement of Principles can be viewed online at
http://www.acainternational.org/?cid=10281.

Summit AR is a Minnesota collection agency specializing in health care receivables management. Based in Champlin, Minn., with locations in Champlin and Park Rapids, Mn.

ACA International, the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals, is the comprehensive,
knowledge–based resource for success in the credit and collection industry. Founded in 1939,
ACA brings together more than 5,000 members worldwide, including third–party collection
agencies, asset buyers, attorneys, creditors and vendor affiliates. ACA International establishes
ethical standards, produces a wide variety of products, services and publications, and articulates
the value of the credit and collection industry to businesses, policymakers and consumers. For
more information about ACA International, visit http://www.acainternational.org.