Americollect: Who They Are and Your Rights

Type

Collection agency

Also known as

AmeriCollect

Collects

hospital bills, physician and clinic bills

Phone numbers it lists

(800) 838-0100

Website

americollect.com

652 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about AmeriCollect from November 13, 2023 to November 12, 2026. A complaint is a consumer's account, not a finding that the company broke the law. Read the complaints in the CFPB database.

Who Is Americollect?

Americollect says it has operated since 1964. According to its own history, Kenlyn Gretz bought the company in 1999 after 11 years as its collection manager, when it had 12 employees; it now reports more than 340 team members serving more than 120 hospitals and 7,000 physicians. In 2019 Shawn Gretz and Luke Check began a succession plan to take over ownership. The company says its staff mainly live near Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and it markets its approach as "Ridiculously Nice" collections.

Why Americollect May Be Contacting You

Americollect markets its services to healthcare providers, so a letter or call from it is most likely about a medical bill. It offers two services, and which one applies changes what the contact means:

• Early out. The provider hires Americollect to handle billing and patient follow-up while the account is still fairly new. The bill may not yet be treated as a delinquent debt, and the provider may still be processing insurance.
• Bad debt. The provider has written the balance off as uncollectable through its own billing and placed it with Americollect for collection.

The provider named on the notice is usually a hospital, clinic or physician group you were treated by, which can include a practice you never dealt with directly, such as an emergency room physician group or an anesthesia or radiology practice that billed separately from the hospital.

How to Check a Debt Americollect Says You Owe

A medical balance can be wrong for reasons that have nothing to do with you, especially insurance processing, so start with the provider's numbers.

• Read the validation notice for the provider's name, the date of service if listed, the itemized balance and your dispute deadline (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34).
• Dispute in writing within that period and ask for an itemized bill showing each service, what was billed to insurance, what insurance paid and what was adjusted.
• Compare with your explanation of benefits. If your insurer says you owe less, or the claim was never filed, send that to both Americollect and the provider.
• Ask about financial assistance. Nonprofit hospitals have financial assistance policies, and you may be able to apply even after an account goes to collection.
• Confirm who owns the account (usually the provider) and where payments go.
• Consider the age. Texas generally allows four years to sue on a debt (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and a debt buyer cannot sue on time-barred consumer debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). Other states have different rules.

What Americollect Can and Can't Do

For bad-debt accounts it collects for providers, Americollect is a "debt collector" under 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6). Whether the FDCPA covers early-out work depends on whether the account was in default when Americollect got it (§ 1692a(6)(F)(iii)). Rules that matter for medical bills:

• Under Texas law, a health care facility must send an itemized bill before pursuing collection (Texas SB 490).
• Paid medical collections and those originally under $500 no longer appear on national credit reports (our update).
• It may not discuss the bill with your employer, family or others except to find your address or phone number (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(b)).
• It may not call more than seven times in seven days about one account (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)).

We did not find an enforcement action against Americollect in the CFPB's enforcement actions list, the FTC's case database, the Connecticut Department of Banking's 2016–2026 consumer credit orders, California DFPI enforcement records or the New York DFS enforcement actions list, which we checked in November 2026.

We Sue Debt Collectors That Break the FDCPA

Texas Debt Law files Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lawsuits against debt collectors in federal court for consumers in Texas, California, Illinois, Georgia and Colorado. If Americollect or anyone collecting for it harassed you, misstated what you owe, threatened action it could not take, or told others about your debt, you may have a claim. A court can order a collector that violated the FDCPA to pay your actual damages, up to $1,000 in additional statutory damages, and your attorney's fees and costs (15 U.S.C. § 1692k(a)). An FDCPA claim generally must be filed within one year of the violation (§ 1692k(d)), so keep your letters, call logs, voicemails and screenshots, and talk to us early. Texas residents may also have claims under the Texas Debt Collection Act. Learn more from our FDCPA attorneys.

Free FDCPA Case Review(214) 851-2250

Or start your free case evaluation online. No lawyer can promise a result; every claim depends on its facts and proof.

Sources

• Americollect: home page
• Americollect: About us
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: AmeriCollect, debt collection

This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that Americollect has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date.