Professional Medical Accounts Bureau, LLC, known as PMAB, is a third-party debt collection agency that works healthcare accounts on behalf of hospitals, physician groups, and other medical providers. If PMAB is calling you or showing up on your credit report, a provider has either sold your unpaid balance or hired PMAB to pursue it. What you do in the first 30 days after their initial letter arrives largely determines how much leverage you keep, so verify the debt before you pay anything.
Who PMAB Is and Why They’re Contacting You
PMAB operates specifically in the medical space. When a clinic or hospital decides an account is too far past due to chase internally, it hands the file to a collector like PMAB, and from that point forward you see the collector’s name on statements and credit entries instead of the original provider.
The medical focus matters for one practical reason: the amount PMAB is chasing isn’t always what you actually owe. Balances land in collections because an insurance claim was denied, a billing code was entered wrong, or the provider and insurer disagreed about coverage. Treat the number on the letter as a claim to be tested, not a bill to be paid.
Ask for Debt Validation in Writing
Within five days of first contacting you, PMAB must send a written notice showing the amount of the debt, the name of the original creditor, and a statement of your right to dispute it.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1692g – Validation of Debts That notice starts a 30-day clock, and the clock is the most valuable thing you own in this process.
If you send a written dispute within those 30 days, PMAB must stop all collection activity until it mails you verification of the debt. No calls, no letters, no credit bureau reporting until they prove it up.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1692g – Validation of Debts Miss the window and you can still dispute, but the collector isn’t required to pause while it responds.
Your letter should identify the account by number, name the original provider, state that you dispute the debt, and request written verification along with the original creditor’s name and address if it isn’t already clear. Send it by certified mail with return receipt so you have proof of the delivery date. When PMAB responds, compare their documentation against your own records and any explanation-of-benefits statements for that date of service.
Check Whether Insurance Should Have Paid
A significant share of medical debts reach collections because of insurance processing failures rather than patient refusal. Wrong billing codes, missed filing deadlines on the provider’s end, and coordination-of-benefits confusion between two plans all send bills to the patient that shouldn’t have landed there.
Pull your explanation-of-benefits statements for the dates of service PMAB is collecting on, and compare them to the amount PMAB claims you owe. If the insurer denied a claim that should have been covered, request the specific denial reason and file an internal appeal. Federal law also gives you a right to an external review by an independent third party if the internal appeal fails. While the appeal is pending, call the original provider and ask them to place the account on hold. Providers usually cooperate because a successful insurance appeal pays them more than any collection settlement would.
When the No Surprises Act May Cap What You Owe
If the underlying debt came from emergency care, the No Surprises Act may limit what PMAB can legally collect. Emergency services must be covered by your health plan without prior authorization, regardless of whether the provider was in-network.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 300gg-111 – Preventing Surprise Medical Bills Your cost-sharing cannot exceed what you’d pay at an in-network facility, and the provider cannot bill you for the difference between their full charge and what the insurer paid.3Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. No Surprises: Understand Your Rights Against Surprise Medical Bills
The same protection covers non-emergency care at an in-network hospital when you’re treated by an out-of-network specialist you didn’t choose, such as an anesthesiologist or radiologist. If PMAB’s balance came from either scenario, the charge itself may be illegal. Reference the No Surprises Act in your dispute letter and demand an itemized breakdown showing why the provider believes the balance is permitted.
What PMAB Cannot Do
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act governs every interaction with PMAB, and the protections apply automatically. PMAB cannot call you before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. in your local time, and it cannot contact you at work if it knows your employer prohibits it. It cannot discuss your debt with anyone other than you, your spouse, or your attorney.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1692c – Communication in Connection With Debt Collection
Federal law also bans obscene language, threats of violence, and repeated calls intended to harass.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1692d – Harassment or Abuse Separately, PMAB cannot misstate the amount you owe, falsely claim you’ve committed a crime, or threaten legal action it doesn’t actually plan to take.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1692e – False or Misleading Representations Vague warnings like “we’re going to take you to court” from an agency with no intention of suing are textbook violations.
You can also send PMAB a written cease-communication request. Once they receive it, they can only contact you to confirm they’re ending collection or to notify you of specific legal action.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1692c – Communication in Connection With Debt Collection That stops the calls and letters. It does not erase the debt, and it does not stop credit reporting or a lawsuit.
HIPAA sets a separate boundary. A provider can share billing information with PMAB for payment purposes, but only the minimum necessary.7eCFR. 45 CFR 164.502 – Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information What PMAB should not have are your full medical records, diagnoses, or treatment details. If a collector references a specific procedure or condition on a call, note it. Either the provider shared more than HIPAA allows, or the collector is bluffing.
Medical Debt and Your Credit Report
How PMAB collections show up on your credit report depends on a mix of federal law, voluntary bureau policies, and a federal rule that was recently blocked.
In 2022, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion jointly announced that paid medical debts would no longer appear on credit reports, that unpaid medical collections would not appear until at least one year after delinquency, and that collections with an original balance under $500 would be excluded entirely.8TransUnion. Equifax, Experian and TransUnion Remove Medical Collections Debt Under $500 From US Credit Reports Those are voluntary commitments, not legal requirements, and the bureaus can change them.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule that would have removed medical bills from credit reports entirely and prevented lenders from using medical debt in credit decisions.9Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. CFPB Finalizes Rule to Remove Medical Bills from Credit Reports In July 2025, a federal court in Texas vacated that rule, finding the CFPB had exceeded its authority under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Credit bureaus and lenders remain legally allowed to include coded medical debt on credit reports and factor it into lending decisions, so long as the coding doesn’t identify the provider or the nature of treatment.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681c – Requirements Relating to Information Contained in Consumer Reports
Watch the Statute of Limitations Before You Pay
Every state caps how long a creditor can sue over an unpaid debt. For medical bills, that window generally falls between three and ten years, depending on the state and whether your state treats the debt as a written contract or an open account. Once the statute expires, the debt is “time-barred,” and a collector cannot win a lawsuit on it.
Here is where people lose ground: in many states, a small partial payment or even a verbal acknowledgment that you owe the debt can restart the clock from zero. Some states only pause the clock rather than reset it, but the safe move is to confirm the statute status before paying anything or making any promise. If PMAB is contacting you about a debt from years ago, check your state’s deadline first. Paying $50 on a time-barred $3,000 balance can hand the collector a fresh window to sue for the full amount.
Settling for Less Than the Full Balance
Once you’ve validated the debt and confirmed you actually owe it, you don’t necessarily need to pay in full. Medical collectors often buy accounts for a fraction of face value and can accept a reduced lump sum while still turning a profit. Settlement offers in the range of 25 to 50 percent of the balance are common for medical collections, though the right number depends on the debt’s age, your finances, and how hard the collector is pushing.
Open lower than what you’re willing to pay. Around 15 to 20 percent gives you room to move up. Get the agreement in writing before sending any money, and make sure it specifies that PMAB will report the account as “settled” or “paid in full” to the credit bureaus. Under current bureau policy a paid medical collection should be removed entirely, but a written commitment protects you if that policy shifts.
Do not give PMAB direct access to your bank account. Pay by money order or cashier’s check. If the collector insists on electronic payment, use a prepaid debit card loaded with only the settlement amount.
If PMAB Breaks the Rules
Violations of the FDCPA carry real consequences. You can sue for actual damages plus up to $1,000 in statutory damages per lawsuit, and the court can award attorney’s fees and costs.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1692k – Civil Liability Documentation is what makes any claim work: save voicemails, letters, envelopes, and a log of every call with date, time, and what was said.
You can also file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov/complaint or by calling (855) 411-2372, with support available in over 180 languages.12Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. So, How Do I Submit a Complaint? The CFPB forwards the complaint to PMAB and tracks the response. Your state attorney general’s consumer protection division is a second channel worth using. Filing with both builds a paper trail, and agencies pay attention when multiple consumers report the same collector for the same conduct.