General Information

About Burns & Carlisle, Inc

When seeking professional collection services, it all comes down to the people actually providing the services. Our staff has in excess of 40 years experience in medical collections and consists of some of the top Collection Managers and Collectors in the state of Texas. This expertise in the collection industry allows us to take the guesswork out of collections and maximize your debt recovery. The company’s success is a reflection of the reputation of its management staff who are recognized throughout the industry for their integrity and commitment to excellence.

We have worked for collection agencies around the state, so we know the risk you face when selecting an agency to handle your accounts. Unlike many debt collection agencies we believe that people have the greatest impact on influencing payment. Our talented and skilled team of collectors are better trained and far more pleasant than the typical “bill collector” which is why we collect more than others typically do. We are by no means a “bulldog” agency. We pride ourselves in educating our patients on the importance of their credit rating while at the same time negotiating payment and encouraging them to utilize your services in the future. You will not find that kind of service anywhere! As a collection agency, we know we are measured by the results we provide, and that each time we do business, our entire reputation is at stake. At Burns & Carlisle, Inc., we treat each client as if it was our only client. We know that our staff, collection methodology, and our technology separate us from our competition. Our goal is to never lose a client due to lack of customer service satisfaction. We train and develop our employees to strive toward anticipating our client needs while exceeding their expectations.

Our mission is to remove the negative perceptions associated with collection services and to become the most respected provider of collection services in the industry. We are committed to excellence and we offer a genuine alternative to what is available in today’s collection profession by making the collection process as simple as black and white.

How Are We Different?

• We treat people with dignity and respect.
• We use the credit bureaus as a negotiating tool only. When a patient agrees to make monthly payments in a timely manner, provides payment information for the balance in full with check, credit card, or debit card, or when the account is paid in full, we completely DELETE all account information from the credit bureaus. As a result, only those patients that refuse to work with us will have their credit scarred.
• Less than 4% of all payments received come through from mail in payments. Our Collectors are experienced negotiators trained to obtain payment information over the phone. In addition, we obtain more balances in full than we do monthly payments.
• We skip-trace to locate current patient information in order to make contact with them. We are a member of many different professional organizations.
• We allow you unrestricted access to your accounts in our database to monitor our performance and the status of your accounts. You can view all account activity including the collector’s notes on each account.
• We are one of only three collection agencies in Texas who are members of the American Collectors Association and the Texas Collectors Association.
• We provide our reports, statements, and checks in a timely manner.
• We notify our clients immediately if there is a legitimate concern for a possible lawsuit from a patient.
• We DO NOT lock you in to a long term agreement. If you are not happy with our services, we ask that you give us 90 days to delete your accounts from the credit bureaus.
• Our website is strictly oriented for processing patient payments, not agency sales.
• We offer collection services on your NSF checks and on your judgments.
• We hire certified collectors or require an employee to obtain certification within the first year of employment.
• We DO NOT have a minimum balance for your bad debt. ALL balances affect your accounts receivable.
• We hire enough staff to handle your accounts. We DO NOT simply rely on letters to collect your debt. We rely on phone contact with the patient. After all, you can not negotiate with a letter!

When Should An Account Be Placed in Collections?

The average receivable loses 55% of its value in the first year, 50% of the remaining value in the second year, and most remaining value by the third year. As a result, the ability to collect an outstanding receivable is dependent upon how quickly the account is placed for collections.

Although your business ‘lives’ on the money you are owed, there is a limit to the amount of time, effort, and money you should spend trying to collect past due accounts. You will know when you have reached that point if you are not getting any response at all from the patient. You will know that any further collection efforts on your part will be unsuccessful if any of the following occurs:

• No response to your statements, letters, and phone calls
• Two or more broken promises of payment
• Missing scheduled payments as per your arrangement, for no reason
• Repeated complaints or requests for documentation
• Starts denying responsibility or suddenly indicates a dispute regarding the services or billed amount
• Indicates an inability to pay and refuses to provide a specific date for payment
• States they will “take care of the account” but refuses to make a realistic commitment for payment or work out a payment schedule
• Mail is returned and you do not have a valid address
• Marital difficulties
• Phone is disconnected and there is no new listing
• Job loss

If any of these problems occur, you should place the account for collection immediately. The longer you wait the more difficult it is to collect or locate the patient.

Doing It Yourself

Some healthcare professionals, hospitals, and clinics feel that they can collect past-due accounts themselves. This could save the fee charged by a collection service. Some of the costs involved in doing it yourself are:

• Time and Staffing. Most facilities simply do not have the time or manpower to sit on the phone attempting to collect past due accounts. Collections is full time job that requires a full time staff.
• Telephones. Many collection calls are long distance.
• Postage. Postage rates continue to skyrocket. It now costs almost $1.00 to send just two notices, statements, or bills. When you stop sending bills to people that ignore them, you will see a huge decrease in this expense alone.
• Training. Collectors need to know the laws in the state you are located and also follow the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).

Tips for Interviewing a Collection Agency

A collection agency can tell you anything and there is a good chance you will never know the difference until it is too late. Here are a few simply interview guidelines you should follow when interviewing a collection agency. Selecting the wrong agency could put you at risk of litigation.

• Check References. When checking references, ask:
  • What makes this agency different than other agencies that may have been used in the past
  • If the reference plans to continue using the agency
  • The party to rate the agency on a scale of one to ten, recognizing that few people will give the very top rating to anyone
• Make sure the agency is bonded. This gives you some security in the unlikely event that there is fraud at some point when the agency is handling your accounts. It also ensures the agency is in compliance with state laws and is legally allowed to operate as a collection agency. Have the agency fax you a copy of their bond or call the Secretary of State at (512) 463-6906 and they will tell you whether or not the company is bonded. NOTE: It is illegal for any third party debt collector to make collection calls or send collection letters in the state of Texas without a bond. This includes billing services. This simple phone call will tell you much about the agency you are interviewing. If they are not bonded – they are not legal – so stop here and RUN.
• Ask the agency if it is a member of any professional association. A bond alone does not mean the agency is operating legally it just means the agency has met the basic legal requirement to operate in the state of Texas. All Collection Agencies collecting consumer debt should be a member of the International and the Texas American Collectors Associations (ACA). The ACA is the legal and legislative arm for collection agencies. You can find out if the agency is a member of the Texas ACA by calling (512) 458-8666. Collection agencies must follow a number of forever changing state and federal laws. Compliance is a full time job so most agencies that are in compliance are also members of the ACA.
• When selecting and evaluating an agency, don’t focus entirely on the agency’s fees. Low prices may not translate into the highest return for your company. Be wary of fees that are much lower than the rest of the industry. Agencies that offer low fees will sometimes only make a cursory effort to collect leaving the really difficult accounts for someone else.
• Ask the agency if you will be allowed to log into their database to view your accounts and collector notes. Most all collection software allows this feature yet most collection agencies avoid it. Most agencies do not want you to see how your accounts are being handled. A collection agency that offers this feature is more likely to be a better performing agency.
• Ask the agency what tools they use and what agencies they belong to for skip-tracing. Most agencies will tell you they skip-trace but few actually do. Although skip-tracing is a vital part of the collection process – it is extremely costly. Have the agency fax you a bill or a copy of their agreement from the skip-tracing firms they are associated with. Internet skip-tracing can be useful but rarely helpful so an agency can not rely on this type of skip-tracing alone. A few of the more widely known and used skip-tracing agencies include: Master Files, Accurint, Insight America, Merlin, Tracers Info, Choice Point, Equifax, Experian, and Transunion. Annual fees to use these services can range from $900.00 – $1,800.00. As a result, few agencies make use of these resources in helping to locate your lost debtors.
• Ask the agency if they report to the National Credit Bureaus. The Credit Bureaus are one of the most effective collection tools available. Again, this is a costly service so most agencies avoid reporting to the top three national bureaus (Transunion, Experian, and Equifax). Registration fees cost approximately $170.00 for each bureau with monthly fees ranging from $50.00 to $100.00 for each bureau. In addition, agencies must pass site visits and meet set standards in order to meet the tough requirements these bureaus impose on data furnishers. Have the agency fax you a copy of their statement, their subscriber code, or their acceptance letter from each bureau as proof they are registered to report. If they can not provide proof then they are not reporting, so beware.
• Ask the agency to stipulate the types of reports you will receive and how often you will receive them. Believe it or not, there are some agencies that never send their clients reports. As a minimum, the agency must be willing to send you an Acknowledgement Report each time you place accounts with them, a monthly Activity Report showing how much money was collected and how it was collected, and a monthly (or quarterly) Status Report showing the agencies status of every account you have placed with the agency. Shy away from agencies that do not offer the above listed reports – something is not right.
• Ask the agency for a physical address. Although Texas does require collection agencies to be bonded – Texas does not require that collection agencies be licensed. As a result, there are literally hundreds of collection agencies in Texas operating on dining room tables and in residential basements. You can call the post office to find out whether the address you are given is a commercial or residential address.
• Avoid internet and out of state collection agencies. We hear horror stories every day about internet and out of state collection agencies that collected money on behalf of a client and disappeared with the money or that can no longer be located. You never know what you are getting with the internet – it could be a foreign company or it could be a company operating simply to scam and defraud. If you do select an out of state company call the Secretary of State at (512) 463-6906 to see if the company is bonded to collect in Texas. If they are not bonded, then it is illegal for that company to collect any debt in the state of Texas.
• Select an agency that SPECIALIZES in collections. You should locate an agency that specializes in collections only! This will insure that your accounts receive the attention they deserve. Many agencies offer other services, such as debt management, employment screening, insurance filing, billing, etc. Collections will often be just another part-time service amongst the many other services these agencies provide. We know that collections is a highly specialized field and requires full time attention. Simply put, if you select an agency that offers a handful of other services, do not expect your collection accounts to be a priority.
• Avoid using your billing service as your collection agency. Collections is a specialized field separate from general billing. If you do select a billing service to handle your collections as well, make sure they are bonded in your state to send collection letters and make collection phone calls. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) prohibits ANY communication (oral or written) to a debtor if the billing service is not bonded as a third party debt collector. All consumer third party debt collectors are subject to the FDCPA, among a number of other state and federal laws. If your billing service is also your collection agency and the service is NOT bonded to collect, beware. Not only could you be at risk should litigation commence, but it is also ILLEGAL for the agency to collect. Most billing services are simply not trained in collections and are not aware of the many laws that govern this specialized field. You may contact the Secretary of State at (512) 463-6906 to find out if your billing service is bonded to collect on your past due accounts.
• Ask if the agency uses automated dialers or voice messaging devices. If an agency answers “yes,” ask for their permit number. Legislation is constantly evolving regarding the use of Voice Message Broadcasting, Automatic Phone Dialing, and Predictive Dialing. Collection agencies are constantly being sued for improper or illegal use of these instruments. In Texas, under Section 55.130. Tex. Util. Code Ann § 55.130, a person may not use an automated dial announcing device to make a telephone call in which the device plays a recorded message without a permit issued by the Texas Utilities Commission. Section 227(1)(A)(iii), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA), prohibits using any automated telephone dialing system or an artificial or prerecorded voice to call “any telephone number assigned to a paging service, cellular telephone service, specialized mobile radio service, or any other service for which the called party is charged for the call. In July 2003, the FCC redefined the term “auto-dialer” to encompass any automated dialing system, not just those that randomly call telephone numbers. If an agency tells you they use such instruments and can not provide you with a permit number – run! There is a good chance the agency is not in compliance with other local, state, and federal laws.

Will I lose Patients by placing their account with a collection

Only those patients who know there is no consequence for not paying you the money you are owed. The truth is, patients know who aggressively pursues unpaid debt and who does not. They also know who reports delinquent accounts to the Credit Bureaus and who does not. So you might be surprised how many patients return to your facility only because they know they can receive free services.