A successful medical practice is not just about treating patients. You must also manage your practice's accounting processes if you expect to make a living. One such task that a medical practice must complete is collecting money that is past due. Accounts that are more than 90 days old should be reported to credit bureaus. If your patient sees the account on his credit report, he may be more likely to pay it.

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     Call your patient about his past due account and explain that you plan to report it to the credit bureaus. In some cases, your patient may be able to make a payment.

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     Enlist a credit reporting service to process past due accounts. The service will charge a small fee, but it will format the information correctly and contact patients' credit bureaus. This is a smart choice if you have a small practice and need to report past due accounts only a few times each year.

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Placing a fraud alert on a credit report will help prevent and protect you from future identity theft crimes. A fraud alert is a valuable tool in fighting identity theft. Here are steps to protect yourself from identity thieves with the help of a fraud alert.

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     Call the national credit bureaus immediately if your identity has been lost, stolen or released onto an unsecure website. The three major credit bureaus are Experion, TransUnion and Equifax. Guard your personal identity which includes your social security number, name and address, birthday, and account numbers.

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     Don't wait to report a discrepancy to the credit bureaus. Clearing your name from the actions of identity thieves will be difficult if too much time has past without protesting the charges.

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