#6 Will Personal Injury Protection (PIP) pay for additional treatment after I’ve released my patient from care?
QUESTION: Will Personal Injury Protection, PIP, pay for additional treatment after I release my patient from care?
ANSWER: The biggest factor in whether the PIP carrier will pay for your patient’s medical treatment after you’ve released them from your care is how much time has gone by from when you last saw your patient to when they contacted you requesting additional treatment. The more time that’s gone by between when you released them from your care to when they asked to be treated again is going to be more challenging to have your patient’s PIP policy cover their treatment. What you can do is when you release your patient from your care, let them know that if they do have a flare-up and the pain and discomfort from the injuries from their accident return, to contact you as soon as possible and to not wait to be examined.
Will Personal Injury Protection, PIP, pay for additional treatment after I release my patient from care?
The answer to that question is maybe.
The biggest factor is how much time has gone by from when you last saw your patient to when they contacted you requesting additional treatment.
The more time that’s gone by between when you released them from your care to when they asked to be treated again — for example for four, five, six months, or more – is going to be more challenging to have your patient’s PIP policy cover their treatment.
What you can do is when you release your patient from your care, let them know that if they do have a flare-up and the pain and discomfort from the injuries from their accident return, to contact you as soon as possible and to not wait to be examined. That keeps you current and up-to-date with your patient’s recovery, helps your patient get the treatment and care they need, and will minimize conflict with the PIP carrier over paying the bills for their medical treatment.
The other key consideration is, did your patient have pre-existing conditions?
If there’s an intervening event or if the treatment they’re seeking is similar to what they received before the car accident, that will be an issue for your patient in having their treatment covered.
If you have questions or concerns about your patient in this situation, you can reach out to their attorney. If your patient does not have an attorney, you’re welcome to contact our office. We’re happy to talk with you and provide you with an analysis as to the likelihood that your patient would prevail in having their medical bills covered if the PIP carrier initially refused to pay for the additional care.
We’re here to be a bridge of support for you and your patients.
We have developed a robust library of information for your patients who have been injured in an accident, which can be found in the INJURED? START HERE portal on our website.
There are 40 topic-focused articles, with accompanying videos, organized into the four categories that include the personal injury claim-related questions we’re asked most often, which include:
- Top 10 Personal Injury Claim Mistakes to Avoid
- What You Need to Know About Your Claim
- How Are My Medical Bills & Wage Loss Paid
- How to Prepare for Your Independent Medical Exam
Each article provides advice and guidelines to help your patients navigate each phase of the personal injury claims process. Whether we represent your patient or not, we are passionate about them knowing how to protect their rights, get the medical care they need, and avoid the mistakes that can harm their personal injury claim.
Each article provides advice and guidelines to help your patients navigate each phase of the personal injury claims process. Whether we represent your patient or not, we are passionate about them knowing how to protect their rights, get the medical care they need, and avoid the mistakes that can harm their personal injury claim.
Additionally, if it would be helpful to have the information we feature on our website available in your office to pass along to your patients, we’ve developed brochures for each of the four article series -- in both English and Spanish that we’re happy to send to your office. Please complete the form below and we’ll get them out to you promptly.
