In a recent article published by the ABA Journal, Burr & Forman partner J. Patrick Warfield shared insight on medical debt lawsuits as a new online dispute resolution (ODR) platform to mediate medical debt disputes is being rolled out in Tennessee. As local and state courts across the country face growing backlogs, Hamilton County General Sessions Court is attempting to address this issue by piloting the online dispute resolution platform where patients can have 24/7 access to get assistance with resolving their medical debts.

The pandemic exacerbated an already growing amount of medical debt lawsuits, as many people lost their jobs and their health insurance.

If a consumer ignores contact from a provider about paying medical bills, the provider can involve an attorney to file a civil warrant in small claims court, says J. Patrick Warfield, a partner at Burr & Forman’s Nashville, Tennessee, office and a member of the firm’s creditors’ rights and bankruptcy service group. If defendants don’t show up to court, a default judgment is declared, leaving the debt uncontested.

“There’s this whole host of rights that a judgment creditor can have that really can have significant ramifications on the debtor,” Warfield says.

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