Maria Tapia v. Skill Master Staffing; 73 Cal. Comp. Cases 1338 (September 17, 2008)

The Appeals Board held that consistent with its en banc decision in Kunz v. Patterson Floor Coverings, Inc. (2002) 67 Cal.Comp.Cases 1588: (1) an outpatient surgery center lien claimant (or any medical lien claimant) has the burden of proving that its charges are reasonable; (2) the outpatient surgery center lien claimant’s billing, by itself, does not establish that the claimed fee is “reasonable”; therefore, even in the absence of rebuttal evidence, the lien need not be allowed in full if it is unreasonable on its face; and (3) any evidence relevant to reasonableness may be offered to support or rebut the lien; therefore, evidence is not limited to the fees accepted by other outpatient surgery centers in the same geographic area for the services provided.