Unfortunately, in non-emergency situations, patients may choose to avoid clinics or hospitals out of a fear of the excessive fees associated with medical treatment, such as hospital stays, emergency services, consultations with doctors and rehabilitative therapy, often due to a lack of funds or the absence of adequate insurance protection.
In addition, the shock of an accident can lead to a rush of adrenaline which masks the full extent of the trauma resulting from an accident. As a consequence, they often neglect their health, citing the fact that they feel little to no pain or have no visible injuries. This approach can very quickly and easily lead to a deterioration in condition, causing medical problems which were undetectable at the outset to worsen, become more resistant to treatment and ultimately, to become more costly to resolve.
The Insurance Protection Regime
There are different insurance systems that exist in the various U.S. states. Personal Injury Protection coverage (PIP, which is also known as ‘no fault’ insurance) is a form of insurance available in some U.S. states, which must be purchased in addition to a basic car insurance package. Beyond medical expenses, the protective cover may extend to income loss and more. The states which require PIP are Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Utah.
In these states, a driver insured with PIP typically makes a claim to their own insurance company; there is no need for drivers involved in automobile accidents to sue the at-fault driver’s insurance company. This reduces the cost of legal proceedings, attorney fees and the time it takes to settle claims as a result of the reduced amount of damages to be calculated in court.
In non-PIP states, Med Pay (short for medical payment) works by supplementing your basic insurance package, although it is not required in most states. Given the fact that insurance sellers do not receive commission to offer Med Pay, it often goes unmentioned by them.
‘Liens’ or ‘Letters of Protection’
If you have been injured in a car accident, lack adequate insurance protection and have no idea who to turn to, an accident doctor on lien may be the right choice for you provided that you are not in need of emergency treatment at a hospital or urgent care center. There is no need to be concerned about the payment of medical bills resulting from treatment, as there are many specialized doctors willing to provide treatment on a lien basis (also known as a letter of protection (LOP) in some states). This effectively means that the accident doctor agrees to defer payment of the medical bill until the personal injury case is settled, that is, until the proceeds from settlement are paid out. Doctors for Accidents specializes in connecting people in your position with accident doctors.
Primary Care Physicians vs Accident Doctors and Third-Party Billing
Although there is no restriction on seeing a doctor of your choice, the main concern we hear from the injured party is that they cannot afford an upfront payment and the typical response from healthcare providers is that there will be no treatment without an ability to pay. Primary care physicians are typically concerned about the fact that it may be years before a personal injury case is settled and they are entitled to receive payment, the risk that they may have to accept a reduced payment as a result of medical costs exceeding insurance cover or settlement proceeds being less than expected and the hassle of dealing with car accident victims and their attorneys, particularly in situations where the doctor is not familiar with the process.
Accident doctors on the other hand, are willing to accept third party billing, which means that they will either charge the costs of treatment directly to the at-fault party’s insurance company, or to an attorney, under the condition that they receive payment upon the settlement of the case. The period between the time that you are treated and the doctor receives payment resulting from the settlement – if at all – can be rather lengthy, hence the aversion of other types of doctors to accepting such arrangements.
What primary care physicians want is to be paid up front, which may leave you severely out of pocket if you even have the means to pay these costs. If you manage to procure the services of a personal injury lawyer, a doctor specializing in post-accident treatment is much more likely to assist you as they can work on the basis of either a medical lien, or an attorney lien, which will give the doctor a legal claim over any settlement proceeds.
Contact Doctors for Accidents TODAY!
Contacting an accident doctor following an accident should be one of the things at the top of your priority list. Depending on the state, you may be required to visit a doctor within 3 months or two weeks of the accident in order to maintain the validity of your claim. We recommend doing so immediately after the accident. Unlike your standard primary care physician, an accident doctor knows precisely how to document the injuries resulting from an accident in a way that will assist your claim when it goes to court and will have far more experience in engaging with the courts in relation to accidents than your average primary care physician. You do not need to hire an attorney before your first check-up, so do not allow this concern to hold you back from reaching out to us. The majority of car accident doctors even work with personal injury attorneys and can provide you with free recommendations.
Given the complexities involved in securing treatment and obtaining a legal settlement following an accident, we recommend contacting us here, to locate an accident doctor with a demonstrated interest in and experience of, caring for those injured following a car accident. The accident doctors we work with are well-placed to treat common ailments following a car accident such as soft tissue injuries and whiplash. They are recommended not according to the fee they pay us, but based on their location and medical expertise, so you can be sure that you will obtain high-quality treatment where your health is put ahead of financial motivations. The accident doctors on our books are experienced in these matters and will accept third party billing. So contact us today; our team will partner you with the best accident doctor to ensure your speedy recovery.
