You’ve been injured in an auto accident. Should you see your primary care physician? You might think so. But let’s take a closer look.
An all-too-common scenario.
Our patient, let’s call her Mary, is unfortunately involved in an auto accident where she was struck from behind while stopped at a red light. Police, fire/rescue, and EMTs arrive on the scene and Mary is transported via ambulance to a local hospital. After examination, imaging, and medication, she is released with prescriptions and with instructions to follow up with a physician. Her discharge papers list two or three doctors to call. The following day she calls these doctors only to find they do not accept patients involved in auto accidents. Frustrated, she calls her primary care physician. Mary is known to the front desk receptionist as she is a long-time patient of the practice. Mary makes an appointment. She presents on the day of her appointment only to find that her doctor’s office doesn’t accept auto accident patients either. Frustration builds (along with her pain which has yet to be addressed).
Mary eventually finds her way to our office through a Google search or through a referral from a friend. Mary might have turned to an attorney and in that case, she makes her way to our office through a referral from them. But now, Mary has been dealing with her injuries for days, weeks, and in some cases, months before she presents to our office. Mary would have been far better served if she had come to our office directly from the hospital. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen often.
Who’s to blame and what’s going on here?
Do the hospitals purposely give you names of doctors who will not see you? Of course not. Are the primary care doctors or their staff uncaring? Absolutely not. The answer comes down to insurance. Automobile insurance to be precise.
In New Jersey, if you’ve been injured in an automobile accident, treatment for those injuries goes through your auto insurance. All doctor’s visits, treatments, diagnostic tests, medical equipment, and surgical procedures, get billed to your auto insurance.
Auto insurance vs health insurance and the hoops we must jump through.
With health insurance, a doctor’s front desk will verify coverage, collect any copay, then bill the health insurance carrier and wait for payment.
With auto insurance, the hoops we must jump through are many and seemingly never-ending. Headaches and frustrations abound. The system is far more complicated than health insurance. On top of that, if the patient is represented by an attorney, there will be multiple requests from the patient’s attorney, the insurance company, and even the insurance company’s attorney. Then in the end, there is a possibility that the doctor might be called upon to testify on behalf of the patient. In the primary care physician’s defense, if the doctor and the staff are not well-versed and ready to handle the ins and outs of auto insurance, then it just doesn’t make sense to see this patient. It’s not that they don’t want to see you or that they’re not caring doctors. They just don’t know how to deal with auto insurance.
What should you do?
The bottom line – you must go to healthcare providers and facilities that understand NJ auto insurance. Your PCP is most likely not one of them.
Why would you treat with Burlington Spine & Rehab:
- Treating patients who have been involved in accidents is all we do at Burlington Spine & Rehab.
- Personally, I have been treating these patients since 1989.
- We can see you within 24 hours. You’ve recently been in an accident. You’re in pain and need care immediately. A busy orthopedic or pain management practice may not be able to see you for weeks.
- We have a broad and deep network of specialists to whom we refer. We refer our patients to a host of medical specialists and every one of them is well-versed in NJ auto insurance. The specialists with whom we have relationships include:
- Orthopedic surgeons
- Neurologists
- Pain management specialists
- Spinal surgeons
- Physiatrists
- Physical therapists
- Wound care specialists
- Ears, nose, and throat specialists
- Dentists
- Psychologists
So, if you’ve been injured in an automobile accident, give us a call or fill out the contact form and we’ll take good care of you.
