56-7-120 - Assignment of benefits to health care provider. - Tennessee Statutes

56-7-120. Assignment of benefits to health care provider.

(a)  (1)  Notwithstanding any law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, whenever any policy of insurance issued in this state provides for coverage of health care rendered by a provider covered under title 63, the insured or other persons entitled to benefits under the policy shall be entitled to assign these benefits to the health care provider. Notice of the assignment, unless otherwise provided by contract, must be in writing to the insurer to be effective. This section applies only to assignments of benefits that were provided after July 1, 1992.

     (2)  If a property and casualty insurance policy includes a specified medical expense benefit payable without regard to fault, but does not permit assignment of the benefit, the insurer must establish a process that, when requested by the insured, the insurer shall disburse funds in the names of the insured and the health care provider as joint payees. Disbursement shall be subject to terms and conditions under the issued insurance policy.

(b)  As used in this section, “health care provider” means a doctor of medicine, osteopathy, dentistry, chiropractic, podiatry or optometry, a pharmacist or pharmacy, a hospital, home health agency, an entity providing infusion therapy services or an entity providing medical equipment services.

[Acts 1992, ch. 918, § 1; 1993, ch. 111, § 1; 1997, ch. 248, § 1; 2009, ch. 365, § 1.]