The story today will be especially relevant for students attending chiropractic school or chiropractors that have recently opened their practice and want to create a practice that focuses on treating automobile accident victims and wish to earn money for the professional services they provide.
If you think that this statement is to be a little odd, such as being paid to work simply inquire with Southern California attorneys Shawn Steel (opens in a new tab) and Alexander C. Eisner (opens in a an entirely new tab) about the reality confronting chiropractors throughout the nation with regard to the cost of their services being paid from lawyers who do not respect liens signed by the doctor which require them to cover the doctor’s bills.
My history with chiropractors and Chiropractors
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This is what I frequently was noticing too. Today, I have a deep belief in the benefits of chiropractic care as well as being one of their patients.
After settling every instance, the initial payment we made was to be paid by the chiropractor as well as the other medical professionals fully. “That puts the client in a category in and of itself,”” Steel says. Steel, “as, based from our experiences that a significant percentage of lawyers – particularly lawyers you’ve seen on TV – are trying to dodge away from paying health care practitioners and, specifically using chiropractors.”
The perfect gift for chiropractors just Beginning Their Career
This is among the main reasons why they wrote “The Intelligent Chiropractor’s Manual for Survival: A Handbook to Handle Personal Injury an ethical and profit-making manner that ,in my opinion will be an excellent gift for new chiropractors beginning their careers looking to establish the foundation of a successful professional practice in personal injuries and be paid.
“Our goal,” Steel notes, “was to distill the wisdom which novice chiropractors many years to master and to save the chiropractors a lot of pain. We provide them with the biggest pitfalls chiropractors encounter and then put the information in a structure that prevents them from getting stung by attorneys and adjusters.”
Eisner states, “So many excellent chiropractors have stopped dealing with personal injury cases because of how they were treated.”
The book, while it is an instruction manual on how to operate successful personal accident chiropractic clinic, the doctors dedicate significant time to the reality of earning a living.
I asked them about ways to reduce the amount of nonsense that are perpetrated by the legal profession which negate the chiropractor’s right to get paid for their skills and their time in treating patients.
1. Avoid working with an attorney You’ve Not Verified
Think about these issues:
- Do you want the lawyer to accept your lien? There are lawyers – usually advertisements you can find on the side of city buses , and on television, who will gladly provide you with cases. However, will they actually be willing to sign the lien? If not, you should decline the referrals they offer, since it is impossible to force them to make payment.
- Do you have the attorney to call you so you can talk about the matter? Are they able to return phone calls?
- Attorneys will provide images along with the police report of an accident along with insurance and medical information?
- Who is the lawyer’s chiropractor? Your chances of getting paid by the lawyer will increase exponentially if attorney is not a believer in chiropractic.
In the event that you do not consider those things could mean that you may be dealing with an attorney that will be unprofessional and not treat you honestly at the end of the process. They may try to reduce the cost of your treatment for no valid reason and then refer your patient to another healthcare professional, or in other words they will try to cheat the patient. It is important to ask these questions as a method to identify unprofessional lawyers early.
2. Learn to React When An Attorney Requests That You Lower Your Bill
One of the most difficult issues lawyers who take personal injury cases are attorneys who continually request they cut their fees without justification , but refuse to cut their own charges. This is a problem which, according to our research is a standard practice for the majority of lawyers handling personal injuries.
Certain lawyers believe that chiropractors’ expenses should be decreased and possess an elitist view, thinking that chiropractors are easy targets. chiropractor is an easy prey.
When a lawyer tells you that they intend to lower your cost then send them your letter and include a copy of the signed lienand your invoice (which is already in their possession) and provide the 72-hour period you can pay your bill fully. If they do not, indicate that you’re prepared for a court case and request that the attorney review the rules of their bar’s state. If you are not able to get your cash, you can file an action with your state bar.
Lawyers are not happy to receive a formal note from their bar’s state. This is why this method typically will result in payment or an acceptable suggestion.
3. We’ll be willing to lower your Cost if You Think the Request Is legitimate
Sometimes , there’s not enough money for settlement to cover every single person fully. When you’re the request is to lower your cost you can respond by saying “Send me the breakdown of costs. Are the other companies cutting their costs? Have you reduced the cost of your attorney?” This must be justified in writing and not via the telephone.
If the lawyer is fair and has presented evidence of the reasons why your bill is not fair, always try to negotiate justice.
4. Contacting the Personal Injury Lawyer is Vitally Important
You are in more contact with your patient than the lawyer ever will. Keep the lawyer up to date on how the patient is doing . Are you seeing indications of depression or anxiety of driving? Or do they are they facing a new medical diagnosis? This will help in establishing the case, ensuring that you get the patient the treatment they needand increasing the likelihood that your payment will be made fully.
The book is full of real-world, useful, up-to-date advice within the Intelligent Chiropractic Practitioner’s Handbook for Survival: A Handbook to Manage Personal Injury in an ethical and efficient manner It’s an excellent to read for all other healthcare professionals. It’s the ideal gift for the child or teen who is who is about to complete chiropractic college.
Dennis Beaver Practices law in Bakersfield and welcomes comments and questions from readers, which may be faxed to (661) 323-7993, or e-mailed to Lagombeaver1@gmail.com. Also, make sure you visit dennisbeaver.com (opens in a new window).
The article is written by and represents our views as a contributors, not of the Kiplinger editorial team. It is possible to verify the adviser’s records by contacting an agency like the SEC (opens within a a new tab) or with FINRA (opens in a new tab).