Do You Need to See a Doctor to File a Personal Injury Claim?

If you were injured in an accident and are thinking about filing a personal injury claim, seeing a doctor should be among your top priorities. While you aren’t legally required to see a doctor in order to file a claim, medical records are essential evidence in all types of personal injury cases. As a result, when you hire an Allentown personal injury lawyer to represent you, one of your lawyer’s first questions will be whether you have medical records that document your accident-related injuries.

What Type of Doctor Should You See?

Regarding the type of doctor you should see, the answer to this question depends on your individual circumstances. With that said, your goal should be to see a qualified doctor as soon as possible. Generally speaking, after an accident, your options for seeing a doctor include:  

• Emergency Room (ER) Doctor – If you require emergency medical attention, please visit the emergency room (ER). Likewise, if you don’t have a primary care physician and there aren’t any urgent care facilities in your area, going to the ER may be your best option in this scenario as well.
• Urgent Care Doctor – If you have access to an urgent care facility and you don’t need to go to the ER, then seeing an urgent care doctor could be the quickest way to get the medical care you need.  
• Primary Care Physician (PCP) – If you have a primary care physician (PCP) and you can schedule an appointment promptly after your accident, seeing your PCP is an option as well. However, if you can’t schedule an appointment promptly, you may be better off going to the ER or seeing an urgent care doctor instead.
• Specialists – If you can schedule an appointment with a specialist, this is another option to consider. Often, PCPs and urgent care doctors will simply refer patients to specialists, which can help streamline the process. With that said, some specialists require referrals or have months-long waiting lists—and, once again, it is important that you see a doctor as soon after your accident as possible.

You can always go to the ER, and if you have a serious injury, the hospital cannot refuse to provide treatment simply because you don’t have health insurance. If you have health insurance, you can rely on your coverage for now—and, if you have a personal injury claim, your Allentown personal injury lawyer will be able to seek reimbursement for your medical costs (both insured and uninsured) through the claim process.

How Can You Make Sure You Have the Medical Records You Need?

As mentioned earlier, medical records are crucial evidence in all types of personal injury cases. With this in mind, how can you ensure you have the necessary medical records?

Unfortunately, this is often easier said than done. Today, it is common for doctors to rush through the process of diagnosing and treating their patients. As a result, patients’ medical records are often rushed (and incomplete) as well. With this in mind, you can help ensure that your medical records adequately reflect the cause, nature, and extent of your injuries by taking steps such as:

• Telling your doctor that you are seeking treatment because of an accident;
• Describing the nature of the accident and how you got injured;
• Describing your symptoms with as much detail as possible, and,
• Providing thorough answers (not just “Yes” or “No” answers) to your doctor’s questions.

Once you hire an Allentown personal injury lawyer to represent you, your lawyer will be able to review your medical records and determine if they are sufficient for pursuing a personal injury claim under Pennsylvania law. If your medical records aren’t sufficient to serve as evidence in your case, your lawyer will be able to refer you to another doctor who will document your diagnosis and treatment specifically with your personal injury claim in mind.

Will the Insurance Companies Have Access to Your Medical Records?

When you have a personal injury claim in Pennsylvania, it is up to you to prove that you are entitled to just compensation. Typically, this involves dealing with the at-fault party’s insurance company, and you will need to provide the insurance company with documentation of your injuries in order to prove how much you are entitled to recover.

However, you should not simply provide the insurance company with authorization to access your medical records. If you do, the insurance company will be able to review all of your medical records, and it may try to use your past records to argue that you have a pre-existing injury (even if you clearly do not). Instead, you should rely on your lawyer to disclose the specific records that are relevant to your personal injury claim at the appropriate time.

How Will Your Medical Records Serve as Evidence in Your Case?

Medical records are important evidence in personal injury cases for a variety of reasons. If you have a personal injury claim for an accident in Pennsylvania, your medical records will assist with proving:

• When the accident happened;
• How your injuries are consistent with accident-related trauma;
• The financial costs you will incur as a result of the accident; and,
• The non-financial consequences you will be forced to endure.

However, each of these will typically require various other forms of evidence as well—and this is another reason why it is important to have an experienced Allentown personal injury lawyer on your side. Along with using your medical records to seek the financial compensation you deserve, your lawyer will be able to assist with gathering all of the other evidence you need to file a successful claim under Pennsylvania law.

Discuss Your Case with an Experienced Allentown Personal Injury Lawyer for Free

Do you need more information about seeking just compensation for your medical bills and other losses after an accident in Pennsylvania? If so, we invite you to get in touch. To discuss your case with an experienced Allentown personal injury lawyer for free, call 888-777-7098 or tell us how we can contact you online now.