Month: May 2018

If I Start Feeling Better Should I Discontinue Medical Treatment?

FORWARD: You should always follow your doctor’s orders and the following advice is just that, advice, and not to be considered over any doctor recommendation.

Let me put it in short words, NO!

If you abruptly discontinue medical treatment because you think you are better, you could be wrong. The thing with soft-tissue injuries or whiplash is that they are very misleading. You feel okay one day and then all of the sudden your symptoms can come back. And they can come back worst than before with symptoms of migraines and/or circulation problems that you would never imagine.

Now, of course you can re-seek treatment; however if you want your insurance to pay, your chances have gone down because they will argue that your injuries related to the auto accident are healed and what you are seeking treatment for now is different and not related to the wreck.

It is my opinion that the best thing to do is gradually discontinue treatment so you can make sure you are restore. Yet, Uunfortunately after any type of injury this restoration will not be complete.

Top 3 Months in which Insurance Adjusters are Swamped and Want to Settle

There are two times a year that the adjusters are swamped. November/December due to Christmas and March because lawyers have to pay taxes. Everyone wants to settle before Christmas, so they can spend more on the holidays. Taxes are due in April, so lawyers want to settle more cases to pay their taxes due in April.

So if an adjuster gets say an average of 25 cases to be settled a month, the number could double during those months. Also in November/December, adjusters like everyone else wants time off for vacation, holidays etc, so could limit the time they have to review their claims or have someone else try and pick up the slack. And as MSAD stated, it depends on the type of case, injuries etc that they review.

Some cases may have to go through several people for authority and that adds time, since until management reviews, then nothing can be done to make an offer or reject it. But you have one thing in your favor and that is that most companies want to close as many claims by the end of they year and they push the adjuster to do so. But that does not mean that the offer could come before Christmas, only that an offer could be made and the check does not come till after the 1st of the year, but then the case is closed and off the books.

Also, say the adjuster calls the lawyer on Wednesday, but they play phone tag back and forth, could be another week before they actually talk to each other. Then the lawyer calls back and once again, phone tag back and forth. Your lawyer will call you when they make an offer, since by law he is obligated to do so. good luck

Importance of Going to Reputable Doctors After a Car Wreck

A few of the main reasons it is crucial to get an honest reputable doctor when dealing with getting compensation for medical bills after a wreck is that a doctor who is dishonest might:

Falsify Reports: For instance, your doctor might put in his daily report on your treatment that you are getting better to make him look like he is actually treating you successfully. I personally encountered this where I told the doctor I was experiencing a pain level of 7 and he reported that I said a 5. This could come back to haunt you when attempting to reach a settlement, because if an official doctor’s report says you are better, your word that you are still in pain is not taken seriously.

TIP: ALWAYS CHECK WHAT THE DOCTOR’S REPORT SAYS. ASK FOR A COPY EVERY NOW AND THEN. IT IS YOUR RIGHT!

Rack-up Medical Bills: Simply because a doctor knows that you are not self-pay and an insurance company is paying, they will try to get the most out of the situation. This may include charging for services never rendered or giving you too much treatment that is not really beneficial to your health like seeing you five times a week instead of three.

TIP: BE THE CONCERNED PATIENT & ASK WHY YOU ARE RECEIVING A CERTAIN COURSE OF TREATMENT.

If something like this were to happen your insurance company may refuse to pay and stick you will the bills or they make attempt to call the doctor behind your back to negotiate you bill which makes for a very uncomfortable situation when you to go back and see this doctor.

If the doctor is unethical he/she may be passive aggressive about the occurrence which could lead to mistreatment or loss of medical records as in my case. So even though you are not paying your bills, it is a good idea to keep up-to-date on what services and products your doctor is charging you.

Won Treat Need Properly: When all you might need is a few minor services or medications your doctor may order un-needed expensive tests which are not conducive to your health.

Waist of Time and Money: If your doctor is not concerned about your health and doesn’t listen to your pain, then you are loosing out on a small window of opportunity in which you are more susceptible to achieving a full recovery. This is something no amount of money can compensate for. Only go to a doctor who listens to you and is willing to treat your need and not his/her needs.

TIP: IF SOMETHING IS FISHY ABOUT THE WAY DOCTOR IS TREATING YOU, MAKE SURE YOU ASK FOR ALL MEDICAL RECORDS BEFORE ACTUALLY DISCONTINUING SERVICE, BECAUSE AFTER YOU ARE NO LONGER A PATIENT THEY WILL NOT BE AS WILLING TO WORK WITH YOU.