Expert: Doctor Settlement - 12/6/2007

Question
Hi i was recently in a car accident, i was hit from behind.  in the accident i hurt the radial nerve in my arm and am some bad pain.  I have been to 3 sepperate doctors trying to get a referal to pain managment, because the pain meds they keep giving me does not work well unless i take alot. Now my insurance company who is paying the medical bills wants a medical release signed.  Im afraid ill get in trouble for doctor shopping and insurance fraud.  is this gona happen if i sign the form, or should i not sign the form at all?  I didnt relieze i was doing anything wrong.  the pain has almost gone away and i have stopped taking the meds.  am i screwed?

Answer
No worries, my friend.  You no doubt submitted one or more bills to your auto insurance and they simply want to get copies of your medical records.  The form that they used is sometimes called a medical records authorization or a medical records release.

Here is a page from our Settle It Yourself Newsletter on Insurance Claim http://www.settlementcentral.com/newsletter0309.htm  Settlement Tips. It argues that you might want to consider holding off on signing the medical release.  But if it is just for your own company and if you have nothing in those records to protect, then I would sign and send in the forms.
READ THE FORMS AND IF THEY ARE ANYTHING OTHER THAN WHAT I HAVE DESCRIBED, DO NOT SIGN THEM, BUT WRITE BACK TO ME ASAP WITH QUOTES FROM THE WORDING ON THE FORMS.

What the medical records release does is to allow your company to go directly to your doctors and get the billings and a copy of the medical records.  That is the first step in getting your bills paid.

They will then determine whether or not the medical treatments are a reasonable and necessary consequence of the accident.  There should be no problem, UNLESS you failed to tell each doctor about the previous doctors.  

Main thing in making an insurance injury claim is to always be forthright with both the doctors and the adjusters.  That way you can preserve your credibility, which is an important currancy of presenting and negotiating insurance settlements.

Also, adjusters are really people too, and they understand that the kind of pain you suffered can cause a victim to search out relief.  I would not worry about it since this is NOT a case of trying to shop for a favorable opinion, but INSTEAD IT WAS NECESSITATED BY SEVERE AND DISABLING PAIN THAT DROVE YOU TO SEEK RELIEF.  That is your argument if anyone challenges you.

I trust that my efforts here have been useful to you and hence I respectfully request that you find the FEEDBACK FORUM on this website and leave some feedback for me.

Best wishes,

Dr. Settlement, J.D. (Juris Doctor)
www.settlementcentral.com