Medical Lien Negotiation: Costs and Questions
Separate the amount a medical or benefit claimant seeks from the charge for reviewing or disputing that claim. Ask who will do that work, whether it is included in the engagement and what written result will confirm any change. A request to reduce a balance is not an approved reduction.
Hurt Advice editorial guide. Source review: . This guide does not state that the attorney authored, reviewed or approved it. Visit the profile for public licensing and background records.
Review the attorney’s public background, then confirm experience and availability directly.

Raffi Naljian
Founder, Civil Litigation, Personal Injury & Criminal Defense Attorney
Raffi Garabed Naljian is the founder of Naljian Law Offices and an active California attorney under State Bar #238919. A Los Angeles Times profile says he founded the firm in 2008 after beginning his legal career in 1997, and the State Bar lists personal injury, litigation, criminal law, and business law among his self-reported practice areas.
View Raffi Naljian's full verified profilePrimary identity record
Learn more about Raffi Naljian
This is a focused supporting page. Use Raffi Naljian's full sourced attorney profile as the primary identity record for biography, role, languages, office information, and public-record links. Review that profile alongside the issue-specific preparation and public sources below.
The State Bar record lists Raffi Garabed Naljian as an active California attorney, State Bar #238919. Hurt Advice is a separate referral and legal information service, not the attorney's law firm.
How to Evaluate Attorney Fit for This Issue
Ask counsel to explain the asserted legal or contractual basis, the correct recipient for a response and any deadline. A generic lien checklist cannot decide validity or promise a reduction; keep disputed and confirmed amounts separate.
Consultation worksheet
Medical repayment review scope and result log
This is a document-organizing tool, not a finding that a claim is valid. Keep personal health details out of these notes.
There is no submit or save action. Copy your notes before leaving this page.
Which claimant and disputed issue will be reviewed, by whom, and is that work already included in the engagement?
What additional charge, if any, is proposed for this work and where is its approval recorded?
What correction or reduction was requested, what documents support it and when was it delivered?
What did the claimant actually confirm, and is that response final or conditional?
Which amount remains disputed or unresolved, and who will verify the closing statement before distribution?
Sources for this guide
- CMS: Medicare recovery process
Official process for reporting a case, reviewing conditional payments and responding to a Medicare recovery demand.
- California DHCS: Medi-Cal Personal Injury Program
Official Medi-Cal recovery program and its reporting and case-resolution resources. This is a separate process from a private provider agreement.
- State Bar of California: Fees and billing
Explains fee arrangements, expense estimates and the questions to settle in a written engagement.
Check the Cost Decision
- 1Identify each repayment claim and the work proposed to review it.
- 2Confirm who performs that work and whether separate charges require approval.
- 3Track each correction, dispute or reduction request with the supporting records and response date.
- 4Obtain written confirmation of any resolved amount and review remaining obligations before distribution.
Records for the Cost Review
- Claimant identity and contact information
- Itemized charges or paid-claim list with dates
- Notice, repayment agreement or asserted program basis
- Dated disputes, responses and any final written resolution
Keep your unanswered questions handy when comparing the attorney’s public profile with your needs.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Applying one program’s reduction rule to every claimant
- Treating a preliminary conditional-payment figure as a final demand
- Subtracting both a medical bill and the same paid amount twice
- Assuming a promised negotiation guarantees a reduction
Use the attorney’s public background as a starting point for a direct conversation about fit.
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Important Disclosures
Attorney Advertising. Hurt Advice is a lawyer-referral and legal-information service, not a law firm. This website provides general information, not legal advice. Viewing a page or submitting a form does not create an attorney-client relationship. Independent participating attorneys decide whether to accept a matter, and representation begins only under a separate written agreement. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome; results depend on the facts and circumstances of each matter.