Opinion ID: 4565860
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Jackson Tube

Text: {¶ 23} Our holding in Jackson Tube, 99 Ohio St.3d 1, 2003-Ohio-2259, 788 N.E.2d 625, which was a medical-service-reimbursement case, underscores this conclusion. In that case, the injured worker’s allowed condition was a rotator-cuff tear, but the treating physician believed that there was additional—but unknown— pathology in the shoulder related to the industrial injury. Id. at ¶ 1-8. The doctor opined that the only way to discover what, if any, additional shoulder problems existed was to perform an arthroscopic surgery, during which he would repair the rotator-cuff tear and use a camera to diagnose any additional conditions. Id. The commission authorized the surgery. Id. at ¶ 13. The employer objected to paying for a surgery to diagnose nonallowed conditions. Id. at ¶ 14-17, 22. The Tenth District found that the Miller test was satisfied and that the commission had not abused its discretion. Id. at ¶ 19. {¶ 24} In affirming the Tenth District’s decision, we distinguished Griffith, 87 Ohio St.3d 154, 718 N.E.2d 423, as “deal[ing] primarily with nonallowed conditions and TTC [temporary-total-disability compensation], not medical treatment.” Id. at ¶ 26. Moreover, we pointed out that Griffith actually hurt the employer’s case, because Griffith noted that “ ‘the existence of a contributing nonallowed condition is not a legitimate reason for refusing to pay for medical treatment independently required for an allowed condition,” id., quoting Griffith at 156, and that the injured worker’s doctor had “always listed the allowed condition of torn rotator cuff as requiring surgery, despite whatever other potential conditions were contemplated,” id. We then concluded that “the commission did not abuse its discretion in applying Miller[, 71 Ohio St.3d 229, 643 N.E.2d 113,] and authorizing surgery.” Id. Neither Griffith nor Jackson Tube altered the Miller test in cases involving contributing nonallowed conditions. 10 January Term, 2020