Triumph Assoc. Physical Therapy, P.C. v New York Cent. Mut. Fire Ins. Co.

[*1] ? 2014 NY Slip Op 50875(U) Decided on May 22, 2014 Appellate Term, Second Department Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431. This opinion is uncorrected and will not be published in the printed Official Reports.

Decided on May 22, 2014
SUPREME COURT, APPELLATE TERM, SECOND DEPARTMENT, 2d, 11th and 13th JUDICIAL DISTRICTS
PRESENT: : PESCE, P.J., ALIOTTA and SOLOMON, JJ.
2012-845 Q C

Triumph Associates Physical Therapy, P.C. as Assignee of JACQUELINE RAMIREZ, Respondent,

against

New York Central Mutual Fire Insurance Company, Appellant.

Appeal from an order of the Civil Court of the City of New York, Queens County (William A. Viscovich, J.), entered March 2, 2012. The order, insofar as appealed from, denied defendant's cross motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint.

ORDERED that the order, insofar as appealed from, is modified by providing that the branches of defendant's cross motion seeking summary judgment dismissing so much of the complaint as sought to recover upon plaintiff's $305.36 claim and the $583.56 unpaid portion of plaintiff's $1,291.96 claim are granted; as so modified, the order, insofar as appealed from, is affirmed, without costs.

In this action by a provider to recover assigned first party-no-fault benefits, defendant appeals from so much of an order of the Civil Court as denied defendant's cross motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint.

The affidavit of defendant's litigation examiner established that defendant had timely denied the claims at issue (see St. Vincent's Hosp. of Richmond v Government Empls. Ins. Co., 50 AD3d 1123 [2008]; Delta Diagnostic Radiology, P.C. v Chubb Group of Ins., 17 Misc 3d 16 [App Term, 2d & 11th Jud Dists 2007]). Defendant also demonstrated that its denial of $583.56 of plaintiff's $1,291.96 claim was based on the workers' compensation fee schedule, pursuant to which plaintiff was entitled to only $708.40, which sum defendant had paid. Defendant further showed that it had properly denied plaintiff's $305.36 claim in accordance with the workers' compensation fee schedule because plaintiff's claim was contrary to Physical Medicine Ground Rule 11. As plaintiff failed to raise a triable issue of fact with respect to defendant's application of the workers' compensation fee schedule, the branches of defendant's cross motion seeking summary judgment dismissing so much of the complaint as sought to recover upon these claims should have been granted.

To the extent that defendant timely denied the remaining claims on the ground of lack of medical necessity, the affirmation from the doctor who performed an independent medical examination (IME) on defendant's behalf was sufficient to establish defendant's prima facie entitlement to summary judgment dismissing these claims. However, in opposition to defendant's cross motion, plaintiff submitted an affirmation from plaintiff's assignor's treating [*2]doctor who stated that he had examined the assignor six days after the IME. His findings contradicted the findings of defendant's IME doctor and was sufficient to raise a triable issue of fact as to the medical necessity of the remaining claims (see Park Slope Med. & Surgical Supply, Inc. v New York Cent. Mut. Fire Ins. Co., 22 Misc 3d 141[A], 2009 NY Slip Op 50441[U] [App Term, 2d, 11th & 13th Jud Dists 2009]).

Accordingly, the order, insofar as appealed from, is modified by providing that the branches of defendant's cross motion seeking summary judgment dismissing so much of the complaint as sought to recover upon plaintiff's $305.36 claim and the $583.56 unpaid portion of plaintiff's $1,291.96 claim are granted.

Pesce, P.J., Aliotta and Solomon, JJ., concur.

Decision Date: May 22, 2014