Medical Bills In Personal Injury Cases
How are medical bills in personal injury cases used for reimbursement purposes? Medical bills usually have two rates: (1) the full uninsured rate; and (2) the adjusted rate, or the amount of the bill after the bill is adjusted to the rate according to the agreement between the medical provider and the insurance company. Some like to refer to this second amount as the amount of the bill after the medical provider writes off some of the bill. Which figure does the jury get to hear at trial? The Ohio Supreme Court ruled on this issue in 2006, in Robinson v. Bates. In their decision, the Ohio Supreme Court said that both the amount billed and the amount accepted as full payment could be admitted into evidence. Any difference between the original medical bill and the amount accepted is not a benefit. Because a medical bill is good evidence of the reasonable value of charges for medical services, either version of the bills can be used to demonstrate that value.
This doctrine reflects the ongoing battle for every dollar between Plaintiffs’ personal injury attorneys and insurance defense attorneys. When someone is injured as the result of someone else’s negligence, it is important to have an attorney who knows the pros and cons of the law. A good offense includes anticipating the defense.
To learn more, read my other related personal injury posts, where I wrote about negligent entrustment, slip and fall personal injury cases in Ohio, bifurcating personal injury trials in Ohio, Ohio traffic accident tips, Ohio personal injury tips, Don’t forget to look at my personal injury page.
Attorney Gigiano’s office is located in Wadsworth, Ohio, where he serves as your Medina County personal injury attorney in Wadsworth. To learn more about the work Attorney Gigiano has done for his clients, take a look at the Daniel Gigiano Reviews, reviews found in a number of websites, and articles and links to his work. If you have questions about this or other questions you need answered by an Akron personal injury attorney near Barberton, or a Wooster personal injury attorney near Doylestown, Ohio, please call Attorney Daniel F. Gigiano at 330-336-3330.