Medical Bill Negotiation
& Collections Defense
Legal representation for Georgia residents dealing with medical bills, medical debt, and collections.
This is not a billing negotiation company. This is a law office. Every file is handled as a legal matter, with formal dispute rights under the FDCPA, consumer protection claims under the Georgia Fair Business Practices Act, and the authority that comes with attorney representation.
What We Handle
Medical bills come in many forms. We deal with the ones that are wrong, inflated, or already causing damage.
Surprise Medical Bills
A surprise bill usually shows up when you receive care at an in-network facility but get treated by an out-of-network provider you did not choose: an anesthesiologist, a radiologist, an assistant surgeon. You had no opportunity to pick them, no chance to check their network status, and then the bill arrives weeks later with a number that makes no sense.
The federal No Surprises Act (effective January 2022) makes most of these bills illegal. If the care was emergency, or it was provided at an in-network facility by an out-of-network provider without your informed consent, the provider generally cannot bill you beyond your in-network cost-sharing amount.
An attorney can identify when a bill violates the No Surprises Act, challenge it with the provider or billing office, and push the matter toward the independent dispute resolution process when the facts support it.
Balance Billing
Balance billing happens when an out-of-network provider bills you for the difference between what they charged and what your insurance paid. If the provider charged $8,000 and your insurer paid $3,200, the provider sends you a bill for $4,800. That is the "balance."
Under both federal and Georgia law, balance billing is prohibited in many situations: particularly for emergency services, for ancillary services at in-network facilities, and when the provider did not give proper notice and obtain your written consent to waive protections.
The rules are specific and fact-dependent. An attorney can evaluate whether a balance bill is legally valid, raise the issue with the provider, and negotiate from that position.
Common Reasons Medical Bills Are Inflated
Wrong codes, wrong dates, services billed to the wrong patient or visit.
The same service billed twice, sometimes across separate statements.
A provider bills for a higher-level service than what was actually performed.
Billing the patient for amounts prohibited by federal or state law.
Surprise bills that should have been limited to in-network cost-sharing.
Billing individual components of a procedure separately to inflate the total.
What We Actually Do
Not just "negotiation." Here is the actual legal work that happens on every accepted matter.
Request Itemized Bills
We send formal requests to each provider for a complete, itemized breakdown of charges. Under Georgia law (O.C.G.A. Section 31-7-9), patients have the right to itemized statements. Most patients only receive summary bills showing a single total. The itemized version shows every procedure code, service date, and individual charge, which is where errors become visible. We attach your HIPAA authorization so providers can respond directly to our office.
Obtain and Review EOBs
If you have health insurance, we review the Explanation of Benefits for every visit. The EOB shows what the provider charged, what your insurance approved, what adjustments were applied, and what you actually owe. We frequently find that providers are billing patients more than the EOB says they owe. If you do not have your EOBs, we request them from your insurance company on your behalf.
Identify Billing Errors and Legal Violations
Every line item on every bill is reviewed for common medical billing problems: duplicate charges, upcoding, unbundling, charges for services not rendered, and balance billing violations. We also evaluate whether the No Surprises Act applies (for surprise out-of-network charges) and whether the provider or collector has violated the Georgia Fair Business Practices Act. When errors or violations are found, they become negotiation leverage.
Negotiate Directly with Providers and Collectors
We draft tailored settlement letters to each provider or collector. These are not form letters. Each one addresses the specific facts of your account: the errors we found, the legal protections that apply, and a proposed resolution. Correspondence is sent by USPS first-class mail and, when appropriate, by fax. Every letter is tracked in your portal. If a provider or collector responds, we evaluate the offer, present it to you with our recommendation, and proceed only with your approval.
Halt Collections and Assert Your Rights
If your debt is in collections, we send formal dispute and verification notices under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The collector must stop collection activity until they provide proper documentation. We also notify them that you are represented by counsel and that all future communication must go through our office. If the collector has engaged in harassment, threats, or deceptive practices, we document those violations and include them in the negotiation.
Bill Already in Collections?
We Can Help.
Collections is usually the moment people stop sleeping. That is also the moment process matters.
If a medical account is with a collector, we can dispute the debt, demand verification, and direct communication through counsel. That does not erase every balance. It does change the conversation.
Formal debt dispute and verification. We dispute the debt and demand verification under federal law (FDCPA § 1692g). The collector must respond with documentation or stop collection activity.
Communication through counsel. When the facts and law support it, we can direct the collector to communicate through our office instead of contacting you directly.
Collector violation documentation. We identify and document violations of the FDCPA and Georgia Fair Business Practices Act: harassment, misrepresentation, improper threats, failure to validate.
Documented legal issues raised when supported. We raise documented legal issues when the facts support it. We do not bluff or send empty threat letters.
Negotiation from legal clarity. We negotiate from a position of legal clarity, not empty threats. That means documented records, verified amounts, and specific legal grounds.
Pricing
Every matter starts with the same $149 review fee. If accepted, we place it into the package that best fits the scope and complexity before representation begins. If the matter does not fit this limited-scope service, we will tell you directly.
Basic Bill Negotiation
One bill, one provider
Complex Medical Bill Negotiation
Multiple bills or providers
Collections Defense & Negotiation
Medical debt in collections
Every accepted matter may include a modest outcome-based fee (5%–8% of documented savings), clearly defined in writing before representation begins. All packages have a hard fee cap.
How We Compare
Not every service that says it helps with medical bills is the same. Here is what you actually get, side by side.
Hayden Barnes Law
- ✓ Review by a Georgia-licensed attorney
- ✓ Attorney with medical training (paramedic, Johns Hopkins)
- ✓ Law-office review and legal judgment
- ✓ Collections defense within a legal framework
- ✓ FDCPA experience and enforcement
- ✓ Can formally dispute debts (FDCPA § 1692g)
- ✓ Representation/dispute/verification notices
- ✓ Evaluates documented collector-conduct issues
- ✓ Licensed in GA state & federal courts
- ✓ Online client portal
- ✓ Transparent, limited-scope pricing
- ✓ Secure messaging with your attorney
- ✓ HIPAA-compliant document handling
- ✓ Medical billing insight (paramedic + hospital)
- ✓ Challenge billing errors with legal authority
- ✓ Protects your rights under GA & federal law
Negotiation Companies
- ✗ No attorney review or legal authority
- ✗ No medical training
- ✗ Cannot handle collections under legal framework
- ✗ Cannot formally dispute debts under FDCPA
- ✗ Cannot send legal notices
- ⚠ May or may not be local to Georgia
- ⚠ Pricing varies widely
DIY
- ✗ No attorney review
- ⚠ Limited ability to dispute debts
- ✗ No legal authority behind communications
- ✗ No portal, no secure messaging
- ✓ Free (but time-intensive)
Debt Settlement
- ✗ No attorney review or legal judgment
- ✗ Cannot dispute debts or send legal notices
- ⚠ Limited collections experience
- ✗ Pricing often opaque or fee-heavy
- ✗ Does not protect legal rights
Why This Practice Exists
A law office, not a call center.
Plenty of companies will promise to "help with medical bills." Very few of them are law firms. That matters when the bill is already in collections, when the paper trail is a mess, or when legal leverage changes the outcome.
Medical background. Legal training.
Hayden Barnes is not coming at this cold. He has worked in medicine and in law. That combination is useful in exactly this kind of case, where the details matter and the paperwork often tells a different story than the bill.
Built for people who want clarity.
This is not a high-drama service. It is a practical one. You upload the bills. We review them. We deal with the providers, billing offices, and collectors. You get updates in plain English.
Is This the Right Service for You?
This service may be a good fit if…
- You are in Georgia.
- You have one or more medical bills that do not look right, feel inflated, or have become unmanageable.
- You want a lawyer to handle the back-and-forth instead of doing it yourself.
- You are comfortable with an online, low-contact process.
- You have at least $3,000 on a single account or $5,000 or more in total medical debt.
- Your medical debt is in collections and you are being contacted by a collector.
- You received a surprise bill from an out-of-network provider you did not choose.
- You have multiple bills from a single hospital visit or medical episode that feel inflated or confusing.
- You are considering bankruptcy primarily because of medical bills and want to explore alternatives first.
This service may not be the right fit if…
- Your main issue is an insurance appeal.
- Your main issue is Medicare, Medicaid, Peach State, or another program-administered coverage dispute.
- You need emergency court defense right now.
- Bankruptcy is probably the real solution.
- The amount at stake is too small to justify legal work.
- Your medical bill is very small (under $500) and unlikely to justify the cost of legal work.
- You have a complaint about the quality of medical care (that is medical malpractice, a different practice area).
- Your dispute is with TRICARE, the VA, or a military healthcare program.
Your Rights Under the Law
You have more protections than you might think. Here are some of the laws we use to fight for you.
Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)
Federal law that prohibits abusive, deceptive, and unfair debt collection practices. Gives you the right to demand written verification of any debt, dispute debts within 30 days, and direct collectors to communicate only through your attorney. Collectors who violate the FDCPA can be liable for damages.
No Surprises Act
Federal law effective January 2022 that protects patients from surprise medical bills. If you received emergency care or were treated at an in-network facility by an out-of-network provider you did not choose, the provider generally cannot bill you beyond your in-network cost-sharing amount.
Georgia Fair Business Practices Act
Georgia state law (O.C.G.A. Section 10-1-390) that prohibits unfair or deceptive business practices. Applies to medical billing and debt collection conduct. Provides additional protections beyond federal law for Georgia consumers.
Georgia Itemized Bill Law
Under O.C.G.A. Section 31-7-9, Georgia patients have the right to request a detailed, itemized statement from any healthcare provider. This is one of our standard first steps because itemized bills reveal errors that summary bills hide.
HIPAA
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act protects the privacy and security of your health information. We maintain HIPAA-compliant security for all client data and use HIPAA authorizations when requesting medical records and billing information on your behalf.
CFPB Medical Debt Protections
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has restricted how medical debt appears on credit reports. As of 2023, medical collections under $500 no longer appear on credit reports, and there is a one-year grace period before any medical debt can be reported.
Ready to Get Started?
Upload your bills. We review them. If there is something worth pursuing, we tell you exactly what it is, what it costs, and what to expect. No pressure, no drama. Just the facts.
Start Your Review: $149Secure online process • HIPAA-compliant document handling • Georgia Licensed Attorney