We receive calls daily from injured people who can’t find a doctor to treat them. Their primary
care physician won’t see them, and they can’t find an orthopedic specialist who will see them.
Sometimes, doctors walk out of the examination room once they find that the patient was in an
accident. Why is this happening?
There are a number of reasons doctors do not want to see injured patients.
Delays in payment by health insurance companies:
Health insurance companies may take the position that the patient’s auto insurance personal injury protection coverage is primary and should pay before the health insurance pays. Doctors do not want to wait to be paid until after this issue is sorted out. Health insurance may not pay until subrogation (right to be reimbursed) issues are taken care of, so that the health insurance company knows it will be paid back from any settlement.
Harassment by auto insurance companies:
Doctors who treat injured patients have become a target of auto insurance companies. Insurance defense attorneys send extremely burdensome, overly broad depositions on written questions (questionnaires) requiring the doctors to dig through years of data about payments received for treating injured patients.
Auto insurance companies have also sued doctors who treat injured people, accusing them of fraud, conspiracy and the like. Auto insurers accuse doctors of performing unneeded treatment and/or overcharging for treatment. Auto insurers also retain “hired guns” to testify against treating doctors, criticizing the treating doctor’s every decision, even though the “hired gun” has never seen the patient.
Why do insurance companies use these tactics? They want to make it harder for people
to receive treatment
so they can pay less to injured claimants and increase insurance
company profits.
How can I find a doctor to treat me following my accident?
The attorneys at Wham & Rogers can help facilitate prompt medical treatment for you. Sometimes it is just a matter of letting the health insurance company know their subrogation interests (right to be reimbursed) will be protected. We can also help injured clients access their personal injury protection coverage to pay some of their medical bills.
If you have been injured and are having trouble finding a doctor to treat you, please give Wham & Rogers a
call at 832-592-1108 or text 832-413-1428 for a free consultation.