New Opinion on Hospital Charges and Their Reasonableness

The Tennessee Court of Appeals released its opinion in Blount Memorial Hospital v. Glasgow, No. E2019-00776-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. Aug. 18, 2020).  The slip opinion reads:

This appeal arises from a hospital’s action against a patient to recover payment for medical services. After a bench trial, the court determined there was not an enforceable contract between the parties, but the hospital was entitled to recover the value of its services under a quantum meruit theory and ruled that the charges billed to the patient represented the actual value of the hospital’s services. The court based its determination on the testimony of the hospital’s witness that, because the rates that a hospital could charge were set by Medicare, the amount charged to the patient was comparable to what other hospitals would charge for the same or similar services. The patient appeals and asks this court to consider whether the hospital proved by a preponderance of the evidence that the amount it charged for medical services represented the actual value of those services. We affirm the trial court’s decision.

Here is the link to the opinion:

http://www.tncourts.gov/sites/default/files/blount_memorial_hospital_v._glasgow_e2019-00776.pdf

NOTE: This case offers a good explanation as to the value of medical services provided.