Medical & Healthcare Debt Collection Agency

Midwest Service Bureau (MSB), headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, has collected for clients since 1970. For hospitals, physician groups, dental practices, ambulatory surgery centers and other healthcare providers, we collect self-pay and past-due patient balances nationwide, on a contingency basis: no recovery, no fee.

Collections run under MSB's FDCPA, Regulation F, FCRA and HIPAA compliance program. MSB signs a Business Associate Agreement with each healthcare client before it receives patient information, and flagged calls are transcribed with AI assistance and reviewed by MSB compliance staff. MSB is licensed where required (NMLS 2671949; California 11599-99; New York City DCWP 2124316) and holds an A+ rating from the BBB, accredited since 2016.

Healthcare Accounts We Collect

• Self-pay balances, including balances left after insurance
• Early-out (first-party) patient balances: see early-out patient collections
• Bad-debt (third-party) placements: see hospital bad-debt outsourcing
• Dental practice balances: see dental collections
• Ambulance and EMS balances: see ambulance & EMS collections

Related guides: physician revenue cycle management and RCM collection analytics.

How a Healthcare Placement Works

Onboarding typically completes within five business days. To place accounts, a provider typically sends:

• patient demographics and last known contact details
• itemized statements with dates of service, charges, payments and the balance
• insurance and EOB history, so the patient-responsibility amount is clear
• your financial-assistance policy, if you have one

MSB reviews each account, sends the validation notice and works the account by phone, letter, email and text within Regulation F contact limits. Payment plans are set within the parameters you approve. Patients can pay online at www.msb-bill.com or by calling (800) 362-0272. The client portal shows account status and payment history for every placed account.

HIPAA and Patient Protections

HIPAA permits providers to use collection agencies for payment activities, subject to business-associate requirements and the minimum-necessary standard. It does not give collectors unrestricted access to medical records. Breach duties depend on the applicable federal and state rules and the business associate agreement. (HHS: HIPAA and debt collection)

MSB signs a Business Associate Agreement with each healthcare client before it receives patient information, and handles that information under its HIPAA compliance program. Under the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, a business associate must notify the covered entity of a breach of unsecured protected health information without unreasonable delay and no later than 60 days after discovery (HHS: breach notification requirements).

• Financial assistance: a tax-exempt hospital must make reasonable efforts to determine whether a patient qualifies for financial assistance before it takes extraordinary collection actions (IRS: hospital billing and collections under §501(r)(6)).
• Surprise billing: the No Surprises Act limits balance billing for emergency care and for some out-of-network care at in-network facilities, and gives uninsured and self-pay patients a dispute process when a bill is at least $400 more than the good-faith estimate (CMS: patient-provider payment disputes).
• Disputes: if a patient disputes a debt in writing within the validation period, the collector must pause collection of the disputed amount until it sends verification (Regulation F §1006.38: disputes and verification).
• Credit reporting: The CFPB’s January 2025 medical-debt credit-reporting rule was vacated by a federal court on July 11, 2025. It does not establish a nationwide reporting ban. Any reporting must satisfy applicable federal and state law and the receiving credit bureau’s policies; client permission alone is not enough. (CFPB: July 11, 2025 court decision)

General information, not legal advice.

Founded in Wichita in 1970

Midwest Service Bureau was founded in Wichita, Kansas in 1970 and is headquartered at 625 W Maple St, Wichita. MSB collects nationwide and is licensed where required (NMLS 2671949). Questions about a placement? Call (800) 362-0272.