Bureau of Account Management: What to Do If They Contact You

Bureau of Account Management (BAM) is a Camp Hill, Pennsylvania medical debt collection agency founded in 1997 that has been sued in federal court multiple times.

Documented complaint patterns include a voicemail that failed to identify BAM as a debt collector, leaving a consumer to believe Books A Million was calling, and collecting on an $8 medical balance without any prior written notice to the patient.

BAM operates under several alternate names that may appear on your credit report under a different label than Bureau of Account Management.

Who Is Bureau of Account Management?

Bureau of Account Management is a third-party medical debt collection agency founded in 1997 and headquartered at 3607 Rosemont Ave., Suite 502 in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. The agency is not BBB-accredited. BAM is an ACA International member and all of its collectors hold the Professional Collection Specialist (PCS) designation.

BAM also operates under the names BAM Agency, BAM Medical, Bureau of Account Mgmt., Bur of Acct, BAM Online, and Bur Acct Mgm. The agency’s mailing address for disputes is P.O. Box 8875, Camp Hill, PA 17001-8875.

Who Does BAM Collect For?

BAM focuses exclusively on healthcare receivables. Confirmed client categories from BAM’s own published service descriptions include:

• Physician offices and medical specialty practices: BAM’s own website confirms these as its primary client categories.
• Surgery centers and hospitals: Both are confirmed BAM healthcare clients.
• Long-term acute care, rehabilitation, and skilled nursing facilities: All three appear in BAM’s published service descriptions.

Common BAM Complaint Patterns

BAM’s consumer complaint record surfaces specific recurring issues.

• Voicemails that fail to identify BAM as a debt collector: A documented BBB consumer review describes receiving a BAM voicemail and believing the caller was Books A Million based on the name BAM. FDCPA Section 1692e(11) requires every voicemail to clearly identify the caller as a debt collector.
• Collecting without prior written notice: A documented Yelp review describes an elderly consumer receiving a BAM phone call about an $8 medical balance as the first contact, with no prior written notice from BAM or the original provider.
• Collecting on insurance-covered balances: A documented consumer review describes BAM pursuing a balance the consumer states was covered by insurance and involved a malpractice dispute with the original provider.
• Failing to remove paid accounts from credit reports: Documented consumer reviews describe BAM continuing to report collection accounts after the underlying debts were paid.
• Attempting to set payment amounts rather than accepting what the consumer can pay: A documented consumer review describes BAM insisting on its own payment amounts rather than accepting what the consumer could reasonably pay.

What BAM Cannot Do Under Federal Law

• Leave voicemails without identifying as a debt collector: A documented review describes a BAM voicemail so poorly identified the consumer believed a retail store was calling. Every communication must identify the caller as a debt collector under FDCPA Section 1692e(11).
• Collect without sending a written validation notice within five days of initial contact: FDCPA Section 1692g requires BAM to send a written notice within five days of first contact.
• Report paid accounts as outstanding balances: The FCRA requires accurate reporting. Continuing to report a balance after it has been paid is an FCRA accuracy violation.
• Collect on insurance-covered balances before billing and appeal process is complete: If BAM is collecting on a balance the original provider was required to bill to insurance first, demand the EOB and proof insurance was billed before any payment.
• Continue collection after a written validation request: All activity must pause until BAM produces documentation.

Pennsylvania Consumer Protections

Pennsylvania residents have additional state-level protections under the Pennsylvania Fair Credit Extension Uniformity Act (FCEUA) and the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law (UTPCPL). File complaints with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection alongside any CFPB complaint.

Medical Debt Reporting Protections

Credit bureau voluntary policy changes effective 2023 removed paid medical balances and balances under $500 from credit reports. If BAM is reporting a paid balance or a balance under $500, dispute those entries directly with all three bureaus.

Verify Before Paying BAM

Send a certified validation letter demanding the original provider’s name and contact information, the original itemized bill with CPT codes and service dates, the insurance Explanation of Benefits, proof that insurance was billed before the account was referred to BAM, and written confirmation of the exact balance including any added fees.

How to Check Your Credit Report

Pull all three reports at AnnualCreditReport.com and search for all BAM alternate names: Bureau of Account Management, BAM Agency, BAM Medical, Bureau of Account Mgmt., Bur of Acct, BAM Online, and Bur Acct Mgm. Any of these may appear as the furnisher for the same account.

Paid balances and balances under $500 should not appear under current bureau voluntary policies. Dispute any such entry directly with each bureau.

How Long Can BAM Legally Pursue the Debt?

Pennsylvania allows four years on most open accounts and six years on most written contracts. The state where you received treatment controls the statute.

Your Options for Resolving the Account

• Check all BAM alternate names on your credit report: A single account may appear under any of BAM’s seven alternate names. Search all of them across all three reports before disputing.
• Demand insurance EOB documentation before paying any balance: If BAM is collecting on a balance you believe insurance should have covered, demand the original EOB and proof insurance was billed before the account was referred.
• Dispute paid account entries immediately: If BAM is still reporting a balance you have paid, dispute with all three bureaus citing FCRA accuracy requirements. Include payment documentation with each dispute.
• File a Pennsylvania AG complaint: The FCEUA and UTPCPL provide state enforcement authority alongside CFPB.

How to Contact Bureau of Account Management

Handle all communication in writing. Send disputes by certified mail with return receipt requested:

• Address: Bureau of Account Management, 3607 Rosemont Ave., Suite 502, Camp Hill, PA 17011
• Mailing address: Bureau of Account Management, P.O. Box 8875, Camp Hill, PA 17001-8875
• Phone: (800) 599-0423 or (717) 214-3017

Bottom Line

Bureau of Account Management is a Camp Hill, Pennsylvania medical debt collector with multiple federal lawsuits on record and documented complaint patterns for voicemails that failed to identify BAM as a debt collector, collecting without prior written notice, and continuing to report paid accounts as outstanding.

Check all seven BAM alternate names across all three credit reports. If BAM is reporting a balance your insurance should have covered, demand the EOB and proof insurance was billed before the account was referred to BAM.

If a BAM account is on your credit file, the right move depends on whether insurance was properly processed, whether the balance has already been paid, and whether BAM sent a written validation notice within five days of first contact.