WHY SHOULD I SEE AN ACCIDENT DOCTOR RIGHT AWAY?

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! 

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