PENNSYLVANIA RECORD

A Philadelphia healthcare provider has filed suit against the widower of a former patient,

alleging the woman’s husband has failed to pay the plaintiff close to $100,000 in outstanding medical bills.

Attorney Lewis C. Trauffer, of the Philadelphia firm Tabas & Rosen, P.C., filed the civil action Sept. 13 at the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas on behalf of Roxborough Memorial Hospital, which is located in Northwest Philadelphia.

The complaint alleges that the defendant, Philadelphia resident Mark Roberts, has yet to pay the plaintiff $99,902.87 in outstanding medical bills that related to the plaintiff’s care of the defendant’s wife, Margaret A. Roberts, who was a patient at the hospital from Jan. 8 to Jan. 24, 2011.

The hospital claims that under Pennsylvania law, the woman’s surviving spouse has an obligation to compensate the plaintiff for services that had been rendered to the man’s now-deceased wife while she was still alive.

“Said medical care was commensurate with the condition of defendant’s spouse and was necessary for the health and welfare of defendant’s spouse,” the lawsuit reads.

The lawsuit states that Mark Roberts is “financially able” to pay for the outstanding medical bills.

“Defendant refuses to pay the balance due although plaintiff has made demand that defendant do so,” the suit states. “Defendant is liable for the medical care rendered to defendant’s spouse.”

A financial invoice that is attached as an exhibit to the complaint shows that the hospital provided services to the deceased woman that included, but were not limited to, emergency room services, ultrasounds, physical therapy, cardiology services, an MRI test, care in an intensive care unit and recovery room services.

In addition to the outstanding medical bill, the hospital seeks to have the defendant pay it six percent interest from the date of discharge to the date of judgment.

 

The case ID number is 120901580.