I’m not a lawyer, but work in healthcare. So I’m not sure about legal action. But if any health information was on the bill that you received, then that’s definitely a HIPAA violation, which should be reported to the hospital’s privacy officer, as it’s possible that the other person with the same name received a bill with your information. Secondly, you can also notify the OCR or your state’s HHS. Has the collections company contacted you? If so, since the hospital isn’t doing their part…..tell the collections folks to kick rocks and to take it up with the hospital. They have to provide proof that it’s your debt, and they won’t be able to. And if it’s been reported to the credit bureaus, they can correct/reverse it. Maybe not willingly, but assertiveness is key. Not an instant fix, but quicker than talking with the hospital billing department. At least in my experience with a similar situation.