medical debt - some questions about details

[weasel]

H'lo chaps,

I've never discharged a debt, so I could use some advice. For any who would care to lend an ear, here's the situation:
I have a friend who has been getting the run-around from the hospital, the doctor, and his insurance company following his motorcycle accident. He's being billed for $5000 MORE than the many thousands he already paid. To put it simply, he doesn't owe it. In any case, the alleged debt will be sent to collections in a few weeks.

If he decides to let it go to collections, here's my questions:
How long would it take to (1) get the debt discharged, and (2) get the matter taken off his credit report (if need be)?
Does the source of the alleged debt(medical bill) affect the steps you take to get it removed/discharged?

Myself, I'm attempting to deal with some questionable credit card debt, so if that's a different process than dealing with collectors, I need to know that.
Other than that, I guess I just need to know what to write, specifically, to banks/collectors to request validation/verification, etc. I've been through this forum at least partly, and didn't find what I think I need. So if you can point me to the right topic, I'd appreciate it. I'm sure many of you have said the same thing over and over, and I know how frustrating it is to repeat yourself.

Also, if any of you live in southern california, I'd like to talk to you.

[masterduke]

It seems that allot of the same crap that applies to debt attorneys slamming people for credit card debt also seems to apply to medical bill debts. As this debt will most probably be sold to some scumbag attorney to pursue. Monitor your local court to make sure they have not already started the process. Many times they won't even notify you that your being sued. There are resources at this website that can help as well as Jurisdictionary.com which can help you to better understand the whole game.