Hospital Liens: What are they and why am I receiving one?

If you were injured in an automobile accident and received treatment for your injuries in a hospital, you may receive a document in the mail from the hospital called a hospital lien. This document is the hospital’s way of placing a claim to money you may receive from a settlement to cover their cost of treatment. The lien will typically state that the hospital bill will be paid first from the settlement and then any residual funds will go to the claimant.

The hospital lien must be perfected which means that all of the proper procedures must be followed. The names, dates and filing procedures must be exact and followed perfectly for the lien to be valid. A personal injury attorney can help you to determine if the lien has been perfected. However, even if a lien isn’t valid because of failure to be perfected, you will still be responsible for paying your hospital bills.

In short, if you will be receiving a settlement for your injuries, a hospital lien is an effective way for hospitals to ensure that those expenses are covered and paid for directly from your settlement.

As personal injury attorneys, we have extensive experience with hospital liens and can help you to navigate the process of understanding and taking care of the lien.
If you or someone you know has received a hospital lien, please contact our office. We can help.