Any injury caused by a 3rd party that requires medical care and treatment is subject to a medical lien, if you do not get paid in full for your services. This includes accidental injuries, such as auto, pedestrian, motorcycle accident, slip and falls and work related injuries, as well as intentional injuries like assaults and rape.
Any medical care provider or facility that has not been fully paid for their usual and customary charges incurred in treating a patient injured by a 3rd party is eligible under the statute. Also, any licensed individual or entity that provides care pursuant to a consensual lien is also eligible under Arizona law. (These are commonly imaging centers who agree to perform pre-litigation examinations and reports that will be used by medical experts at trial, physicians who are providing examinations, reports and/or testimony on behalf of a patient/plaintiff in a claim setting, such as a lawsuit, disability evaluation, workers compensation hearing and the like.)
A medical lien is a simple and effective way to ensure that doctors, hospitals, therapists and any other healthcare provider who provides medical care and treatment, gets paid for their services. "Personal Injury" or "Medical Liens" are legal encumbrances upon property to secure the payment of a debt or obligation. In Arizona a healthcare provider's right to file a lien to ensure payment is usually created by statue, but can also be voluntarily given as a promise to pay for ongoing or future medical care and treatment.
Medical Malpractice
Jeff Bouma has been practicing law in the areas of Environmental, Toxic, Torts, Civil Rights, Medical Malpractice Catastrophic Personal Injury since 1988. Mr. Bouma received his A-V rating in 1997 and has been listed in the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers in 2003 in both Environmental Litigation and Medical Malpractice litigation.
Auto Accidents
Dog Bites
A Statutory Medical Lien under Arizona Law may only be filed when the patient's injuries were caused, wholly or in part, by the actions of a 3rd party. Obvious examples are car accidents, assaults, slips and falls outside the home, dog bites and work place injuries (with some restrictions).