In 2010, Michigan’s Court of Appeals issued a published opinion on an important legal issue facing a number of our healthcare provider clients. The issue on appeal dealt with defining what are “usual and customary charges” for St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. At the trial court level, defendant was a non-profit corporation that owns and operates hospitals including the St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. In December of 2005, plaintiff Holland was admitted to this hospital for medical care, in particular treatment of a kidney stone. At the time plaintiff was uninsured. She signed the agreement with the hospital when she promised to pay “for all services rendered to me at the medical center’s usual and customary charges”.
