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This is a video about how to find a doctor after a car accident.
If you are injured and need to see a doctor, there are few things that you need to know.
It’s important to go to the right injury doctors and even more important to avoid the wrong doctors.
Do Not Rely on Your Primary Care Physician:
Most people think they should call their primary care doctor after a crash.
Although your primary care doctor is probably an excellent physician,
there are two huge reasons why you shouldn’t rely on them as your main treating doctor.
First of all, Accident Injuries are Not their Area of Focus.
Your primary care physician probably doesn’t want to get involved in treating accident injuries.
Most primary care physicians specialize in family or internal medicine.
This is because they focus their area of care on patients who have internal medical conditions -
Rather than on spinal injuries, concussions, broken bones, and such other things.
They may even be board certified as an internal medicine doctor.
I suggest that after an accident,
call your primary care doctor to tell them about your injuries and see if they will even see you for your accident injuries.
They probably will tell you to see a specialist.
Another doctor with specialized training in the area of your medical needs.
One who has experience in treating your specific problems.
The second thing you need to know is your medical records will be one of the most important parts of determining the value of your claim.
When a demand is made, the insurance company will read your medical records.
And, based on what your records say, they will set a value for your claim.
If you only went to see your primary care doctor,
Your medical chart probably has one or two things the doctor wrote by hand about what you told them was bothering you.
Or with electronic records, which you almost never even get to see yourself,
it has check boxes and short sentences about your conditions.
So, imagine for a moment your primary doctor’s records say “patient has neck stiffness, headaches and numbness in the right arm.
Prescribed Flexeril, and rest.”
That is all good and fine, but the insurance company will set a value for your claim based upon this limited information.
Now, imagine you went to a specialist such as an orthopedic surgeon, neurologists, physiatrists, chiropractors,
or any other qualified doctor.
Here is what a specialist will probably write in your records about your injuries after an accident:
A detailed history of what happened to you in the accident,
A detailed history about any pre-existing injuries or conditions you may have, that may have been worsened by the crash,
A list of medical tests they performed such as range of motion or nerve compression tests, reflexes and muscle spasms.
They will write down if they have ordered specialized MRI’s, X-rays or digital motion X-rays
A list of prescriptions to physical therapy, occupational therapy, or vocational rehabilitation
They will record in your records if they sent you to other specialists who may evaluate you for surgery, or pain management
They will write key information about what caused your injuries, such as the car crash and if it aggravated your pre-existing injuries
They will also explain whether your injuries are “permanent” or not, and if you will have them for the rest of your life
They will record what your future medical needs will be for the rest of your life and your Impairment rating,
which is what effect your injuries will have on your ability to work, enjoy life, or perform daily activities
Now, with all of this detailed information about how the accident has caused you harms, losses and injuries,
the insurance company will be able to justify paying you much more for your injuries.
All of these important details have to be documented in writing by specialists for the insurance company to see.
And unfortunately, no matter how great your primary care physician is,
they are not equipped to document your medical problems with the detail and specifics that are SO important for an insurance claim.
So what kind of doctor should you choose?
Try to find a doctor who specializes in treating your specific type of injury.
Do not rely on your primary care doctor to treat or diagnose any of your injuries.
You need injury doctors who understand the importance of documenting the causes and long term effects of your injuries in your medical records.
Most primary care doctors do not include all the vital information that needs to be in your medical records.
Some doctors don’t understand because they don’t specialize in injuries.
It’s extremely important to know how to find a doctor after a car accident to treat you properly.
When you choose a doctor, make sure you tell them about all your previous injuries or conditions from the past.
Hiding pre-existing injuries or conditions will hurt your credibility and your recovery.
If you bring an injury claim and don’t tell your doctors about previous injuries,
the insurance company will make a big to-do about you being a liar.
Insurance companies will say since you didn’t tell your doctors about prior injuries, then you cannot be trusted.
They will also say you were trying to manipulate your doctor by holding back that you had a prior complaint 20 years ago about your neck,
or whatever happened to you.
I tell people all the time: don’t not be afraid of a pre-existing condition.
You should brag about them.
Almost everyone has some sort of pre-existing injury and people with pre-existing injuries are easier to hurt and harder to fix.
In the state of Florida, people with pre-existing injuries are entitled to more recovery, not less.
So,
if you make sure you tell everyone about any pre-existing injury,
then your doctors can deal with it,
and you sound much more believable to an insurance company or a jury.
After you decide on an injury specialist,
it is very important to keep all of your doctor appointments because you don’t want any gaps in your treatment.
Gaps in treatment decrease the value of your claim and decrease the chances of recovering from your injuries.
Knowing how to find a doctor after a car accident is only half the battle.
Also, if your doctor documents that you will need future care in your future to help maintain your health,
and then you stop going to your doctor appointments, then no one will pay you for your future medical needs.
Hurt People Seek Treatment, so If you Don’t Treat, You Must Not be Hurt.
Why would a judge or a jury give you money to go to a doctor in the future when you are not going now.
So allowing big gaps in your treatment will create big gaps in your settlement.
Treat now or forever hold your peace.
Sometimes going all the way to a jury trial is necessary to receive fair value for your case.
Help your attorney with your case by saving evidence for the jury if your case has to go to trial.
When treating with injury doctors, save any and all empty pill bottles.
Save over-the-counter pill bottles too because they are great proof of how the injury affected you.
The quantity of medications you take over time for an injury is important evidence to show a jury.
After an accident it is extremely important to find a doctor right away
or else the Insurance Company Will Say Something Else Caused Your Injuries.
By going to a doctor immediately, you prevent the insurance company from saying
“Hey, wait a minute, if the person was hurt so badly, why didn’t they go to the emergency room or doctor right away?”
Adrenaline runs through your body After a Car Accident and Will Mask Injuries you have.
Sure - after the crash you were thinking that you were okay, that you would be fine,
that the aches and pains would go away.
But unfortunately they did not.
So now you have this gap in between the moment of the accident and your first medical record.
The insurance company will harp on this and suggest that you were injured somewhere else - not from this accident.
It will hurt your credibility throughout the case because they will constantly come back to this fact.
Also, by waiting, you are guessing.
By guessing about your injuries, you are just hoping that you will feel better.
Waiting may make your injuries worse.
Immediate care can make a big difference in your final outcome.
By seeking proper care immediately, you may help reduce internal scar tissue damage to your ligaments and muscles.
You might have pressure taken off of nerves and prevent further radiculopathy (radiating nerve damage) in your arms or legs.
You may have tests done like MRI of your spine to get you to a spinal surgeon before you cause irreversible nerve damage.
Another thing is if you are in a car accident and you don’t seek treatment within the first 14 days,
then you may waive your PIP no fault benefits.
So if you don’t see a doctor in time, you will waive $10,000 in benefits to treat your injuries.
Some people tell me they can’t afford to get medical treatment after a car accident.
If you are seriously injured, you need to go to the hospital.
When you have PIP insurance, they will bill your car insurance.
In the event you are a passenger in someone else’s car, or you are a pedestrian,
you may be entitled to the PIP from the car you were riding in or hit by.
Also, there are some doctors who will treat you if you have a good lawyer
and the doctors will wait until the end of your insurance claim to be paid.
This is called an Insurance Security Agreement, Which is basically a contract between you,
your doctor and your lawyer where your lawyer agrees to hold back settlement money until the doctor’s bill is paid.
Lawyers can significantly help increase the value of your case.
In catastrophic injury cases,
lawyers hire experts who help document and quantify future medical needs for our injured clients.
These experts are usually medical doctors who spend a great deal of time meeting with the client,
measuring and evaluating their injuries and conditions, then they prepare a “Life Care Plan.”
A life care plan is basically an accurate prediction of the types of health care needs that are reasonably medically certain to happen.
Their job is to make sure that all sorts of items are considered and not forgotten in predicting future medical care needs.
They consider things such as medicine, surgeries, special equipment, future testing and evaluations,
how long equipment lasts before it need to be replaced, they factor in costs for home care, rehabilitation,
and palliative care just to name a few things.
They basically create a shopping list of things that will be needed for the rest of the person’s life.
It is an important job, because if they leave off something, then the person will go without it.
Or,
the tax payers will have to pay the bill for future medical needs.
It is important that the person who caused the wrong pay for it and not the tax payers.
In many cases,
I hire vocational experts whose job is to explain how injuries have affected our client’s ability to work in the past
and, more importantly, in the future.
These experts are usually PhD’s who have focused their work on measuring work capacity and the losses associated with injuries.
These experts also come to court
and explain in detail and answer questions about how injuries make it harder for some people to get hired,
or if they have a job, they may not get raises or promotions,
or their injuries may shorten their work life.
Our vocational experts will often talk with the client’s treating doctors,
review the medical records, interview and test our client for strengths and weaknesses in their ability to perform duties on the job.
They will create a report and then be asked to come to court to explain all their findings to the jury.
The bottom line is that the quality of your doctors has a significant effect on the value of your injury case.
You should talk with your lawyer and make sure that you are comfortable with your doctors care and treatment.
As well as the documentation that is required to assist you in proving your injury case.
If you need help finding a doctor after a car accident for specific injuries,
remember to turn to specialists.
Not your primary care physician.
If you have any questions about how to find a doctor after a car accident,
please feel free to call me,
Matt Powell, at 1-844-MATTLAW
and I will be glad to help you.