NEWARK
– The Office of the Attorney General,
through its Division of Consumer Affairs,
has reached settlement with companies that
are contacting former patients of the now-closed
Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood for the
collection of owed debts.
Rubin & Raine, Inc. and
Rubin and Raine of New Jersey, LLC (“Rubin
& Raine”), located in Eatontown,
and International Portfolio, Inc. of Conshocken,
Pa., who have admitted no wrongdoing in connection
with the collection of the debts, have agreed
to comply with the state’s Consumer
Fraud Act and Collections Agency Statute and
federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
in their operations.
Rubin & Raine also agreed
to not purse any collection efforts of any
Pascack Valley Hospital accounts receivable
for which the statute of limitations expired
on or before September 19, 2008. The company
also agreed to use all reasonable efforts
to verify the age, amount and accuracy of
an accounts receivable before sending a collection
notice.
“This settlement addresses
concerns raised by former patients about supposed
balances that they owed to the hospital, some
dating back many years,” Attorney General
Anne Milgram said. “These companies
must use reasonable efforts to confirm the
amounts that are owed and to comply with applicable
laws and regulations.”
Under terms of the Assurance
of Voluntary Compliance, Rubin & Raine
must establish a Pascack Valley Accounts Receivable
Dispute Resolution Team for a one-year period.
The team is responsible for attempting to
resolve any consumer disputes that arise.
Any
person receiving a delinquency notice from
Rubin & Raine must be provided at least
20 days time to contact the dispute resolution
team.
“This
settlement provides recourse to consumers
who wish to dispute the delinquency notice
and sets specific terms that must be adhered
to,” said David Szuchman, Consumer Affairs
Director.
International
Portfolio purchased the accounts receivable
of the former Pascack Valley Hospital in bankruptcy
proceedings. If International Portfolio retains
another company for collection, the terms
of the agreement are binding on that company.
Assistant
Attorney General James J. Savage represented
the state in this matter.
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