                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

(EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2026) DEFINITIONS (§ 59.1-611)

As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:
		&#8220;Consumer reporting agency&#8221; has the same meaning as provided in §
59.1-444.1.
		&#8220;Emergency services&#8221; has the same meaning as provided in §
38.2-3438.
		&#8220;Extraordinary collection action&#8221; means any action taken to obtain
payment of a medical debt that:

1. Involves selling an individual&#8217;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&#8217;s
nonpayment of medical debt; or

4. Requires a legal or judicial process, including placing a lien on an
individual&#8217;s property, foreclosing on an individual&#8217;s real property,
attaching or seizing an individual&#8217;s bank account or any other personal
property, commencing a civil action against an individual, causing an
individual&#8217;s arrest, causing an individual to be subject to a writ of body
attachment, or garnishing an individual&#8217;s wages.
			&#8220;Financial assistance policy&#8221; means a written policy made
pursuant to 26 C.F.R. &#xA7; 1.501(r)-1 or &#xA7; 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.
			&#8220;Health care services&#8221; has the same meaning as provided in &#xA7;
59.1-444.1.
			&#8220;Large health care facility&#8221; includes:

1. Any hospital licensed by the Department of Health pursuant to Chapter 5
(&#xA7; 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.
			&#8220;Medical creditor&#8221; 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.
			&#8220;Medical debt&#8221; has the same meaning as provided in &#xA7;
59.1-444.1.
			&#8220;Medical debt buyer&#8221; 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.
			&#8220;Medical debt collector&#8221; 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. &#8220;Medical debt
collector&#8221; includes a medical debt buyer.
			&#8220;Patient&#8221; 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.
			&#8220;Urgent services&#8221; means health care services the delay of which
could seriously jeopardize an individual&#8217;s life, health, or ability to
regain maximum function.

HISTORY: 2025, c. 692.