91 Pa. Super. 429 | Pa. Super. Ct. | 1927
Argued April 21, 1927.
This appeal is from a judgment entered in the court below in a workmen's compensation case. An analysis of the procedure followed by the Referee, the board and the Court of Common Pleas of Cambria. County discloses that the judgment must be reversed and the court directed to return the record to the Workmen's Compensation Board, to the end that it may properly discharge the duties committed to it by law. Appellant, the claimant for compensation, was injured in November, 1925, while in the employ of appellee, Plymouth Coal Mining Company, and under Section 306 (e) of the Act of June 2, 1915, P.L. 736, as amended by the Act of June 26, 1919, P.L. 642, thereupon became *431
entitled, among other things, to be furnished by his employer during the first thirty days after disability with "reasonable surgical and medical services, medicines, and supplies, as and when needed," at a cost not exceeding $100, and "in addition to the above services, medicines and supplies, hospital treatment, services, and supplies ...... for the said period of thirty days." It is expressly provided that "the cost for such hospital treatment, service, and supplies shall not in any case exceed the prevailing charge in the hospital for like services to other individuals." In this case we are dealing only with the "hospital treatment, services, and supplies," which are to be furnished in addition to reasonable surgical and medical services, medicines and supplies. The liability of the employer for the latter cannot exceed $100, but he is liable for hospital treatment, services and supplies "at the prevailing rates": Kopchak, App., v. Lincoln Gas Coal Company,
On January 7, 1926, appellant filed his petition for a review of his compensation agreement, upon the ground that his hospital expenses had not been paid in accordance with the above quoted provisions of the act. The employer replied that no bill had ever been presented covering the first thirty days of disability. At a hearing before the referee on this petition and answer testimony was taken on behalf of appellant who called the superintendent of the Conemaugh Valley *434
Memorial Hospital as a witness. His testimony was to the effect that appellant had received hospital treatment during the first thirty days after disability began, namely, from November 14 to December 13, 1925, and was at the time of the hearing still confined to the hospital. The witness presented a bill for hospital treatment during the first thirty days, aggregating $137.75. The largest item in the bill was the charge of $90 for maintenance and treatment in the ward at a daily rate of $3. The other items of the bill were for X-ray examinations, use of the operating room, administration of anaesthetics, laboratory charges, antitetanic serum, etc. With respect to the charges contained in this bill as compared with the prevailing charges in that hospital for like services to other individuals the witness testified: "Q. Is $3 per day the prevailing charge for all ward patients at your hospital? A. Yes. Q. Are all the charges given in this bill the prevailing charge? A. They are, and clinics. Q. The same charges that are made to patients that are not compensation cases? A. Yes." It was also stated by the witness that the actual cost of maintaining a patient in the ward was at that time $4.26 per day and that $3 per day was the rate fixed by the proper state authorities in distributing the state appropriation for charity cases. Counsel for the appellee called no witnesses but cited the above resolution of the board. The referee apparently paid no attention whatever to the evidence, but entered an order based entirely upon the resolution. Its language is: "In accordance with the `Resolution of the Board adopted at Harrisburg, on January 29, 1924,' your Referee makes the following order: It is hereby ordered that the defendant pay the sum of $100 to the Conemaugh Valley Memorial Hospital, Johnstown, Pa., for hospital services rendered John Lewis Denne, the claimant, during his first thirty days of disability." The only thing resembling a finding *435
of fact based upon the evidence was a statement that no part of the hospital bill had as yet been paid by the employer. Upon appeal by claimant to the board that tribunal, instead of exercising the powers conferred upon it by Section 423 to examine the testimony taken before the referee and to hear other evidence, if deemed proper, and to make such findings of fact as the evidence, in the judgment of the board, required, merely filed the following opinion: "The referee's order directing the defendant to pay the sum of One Hundred Dollars ($100) to the Conemaugh Valley Memorial Hospital of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is herewith affirmed." Thereupon the claimant appealed to the Court of Common Pleas of Cambria County, averring in his exceptions that the board erred in affirming the decision of the referee and erred in limiting the hospital expenses to $100. Under our compensation act it was clearly the duty of the referee to make specific findings of fact from the evidence before him relating to the prevailing charges in the hospital presenting the bill. Moreover, the board had ample authority to correct the error of the referee by making findings of fact upon the testimony taken before him and such other testimony as it might deem proper to take: Vonot v. Hudson Coal Co.,
The judgment of the court below is accordingly reversed and that tribunal is directed to return the record to the compensation board for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.