Does your original contract allow for the assessment of any fees in the course of attempting to collect the debt. That is what you stand on to deny or accept whether the attorney can even charge fees. If there was no inclusion of fees, he can’t charge them for simply acting as a collection agency.
. Given it was not originally stated as fees, I would simply tell him to take a hike. He doesn’t get to issue a demand for payment of a debt and convert it to attorneys fees becsuse he ended up with two checks. You paid what was demanded for the debt and that’s what he has to accept it for.
One thing may help if you explain; what was the actual total amount owed in November. (Nkt some negotiated amount but actual valid debt). Did you obtain any services since then that would add to the debt? If so, how much did it add.
if one number or the other was the actual debt (and I would presume the number the hospital gave you was the most accurate number) where would the extra $200 come in? Given you agreed to pay that, it makes no sense that you didn’t actually owe that much.

