Virginia § 59.1-611 - (Effective July 1, 2026) Definitions

§ 59.1-611. (Effective July 1, 2026) Definitions

As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:

"Consumer reporting agency" has the same meaning as provided in § 59.1-444.1.

"Emergency services" has the same meaning as provided in § 38.2-3438.

"Extraordinary collection action" means any action taken to obtain payment of a medical debt that:

1. Involves selling an individual's medical debt to another party;

2. Involves reporting adverse information about an individual to consumer reporting agencies;

3. Involves deferring, denying, or requiring a payment before providing emergency services or urgent services because of an individual's nonpayment of medical debt; or

4. Requires a legal or judicial process, including placing a lien on an individual's property, foreclosing on an individual's real property, attaching or seizing an individual's bank account or any other personal property, commencing a civil action against an individual, causing an individual's arrest, causing an individual to be subject to a writ of body attachment, or garnishing an individual's wages.

"Financial assistance policy" means a written policy made pursuant to 26 C.F.R. § 1.501(r)-1 or § 32.1-137.010 or other written policy for providing financial assistance to patients adopted by a large health care facility or medical creditor voluntarily or otherwise as required by applicable federal or state law or regulation.

"Health care services" has the same meaning as provided in § 59.1-444.1.

"Large health care facility" includes:

1. Any hospital licensed by the Department of Health pursuant to Chapter 5 (§ 32.1-123 et seq.) of Title 32.1 and any outpatient clinic or facility operating under the license of such a hospital; and

2. Any practice that provides outpatient medical, surgical, behavioral, optical, radiology, laboratory, dental, or other health care services with revenues of at least $20 million annually.

"Medical creditor" means any entity that provides health care services for which a consumer (i) owes medical debt or (ii) if such medical debt has been sold, previously owed medical debt.

"Medical debt" has the same meaning as provided in § 59.1-444.1.

"Medical debt buyer" means a person that is engaged in the business of purchasing medical debt or collecting medical debt on behalf of another entity, whether such person collects the medical debt directly or hires an attorney or other third party to collect such medical debt.

"Medical debt collector" means any person that regularly collects or attempts to collect, directly or indirectly, medical debts originally owed, due, or asserted to be owed or due to another. "Medical debt collector" includes a medical debt buyer.

"Patient" means the individual who received health care services and includes a parent if the patient is a minor or a legal guardian if the patient is an adult under guardianship.

"Urgent services" means health care services the delay of which could seriously jeopardize an individual's life, health, or ability to regain maximum function.

2025, c. 692.