Why Won’t Your Primary Care Doctor See You After A Car Accident?

 

After an automobile accident, most people wake up with soreness. It is a natural reaction to call your primary care provider. However, the most common reply you will get when calling that PCP is, “We don’t see people who are involved in an auto accident.” They may even tell you that, “You need to go to the hospital or an urgent care facility.” 

 

Here are three reasons why your PCP will not see you after you have been in a car accident and what you can do to make sure you get the proper care.

 

  1. Most Primary Care Practices have no experience billing personal injury protection (PIP) insurance.

 In billing PIP insurance, the intake and treatment documentation must be thorough and the billing prompt. There are special forms that have to filled out. The doctor must record your history and exam in a detailed and precise way. When the doctor sends in the bills to the car insurance company the documentation is scrutinized carefully by the person managing your case or Adjustor. If the insurance company does not agree with the doctors diagnosis, treatment plan or feel that treatments do not fill the criteria for “medical necessity” they will deny payment. Many times the insurance companies will erroneously deny or reduce bills just to save themselves money. Often doctors offices have to hire attorneys to force insurance companies to pay the money that is owed to the doctors for providing treatment. Needless to say billing PIP insurance is demanding and requires a knowledgeable and experienced staff. 

 

2.    Primary Care Providers want to avoid the legal system

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Injured patients often hire a lawyer to represent them. This happens when the patient has sustained a permanent injury. This may require the doctor to become an expert witness on behalf of the patient. As an expert witness the doctor may have to write a detailed report of the patient’s injuries, participate in a deposition with the insurance company lawyers or testify before a judge and jury in a court of law. The average primary care doctor has neither the time, experience or inclination to deal with the legal process involved with a car accident patient. For most PCPs it is often standard practice to send their patients to another provider so they can avoid the time consuming legal process.

 

 

3.    Primary Care practices are not staffed or equipt to provide the type of treatment necessary to properly treat a car accident related injury. 

 

If you were able to sneak into your Primary Care Office for a car accident injury you would most likely receive the following treatment: 

“Take anti-inflammatory medication.”

Unfortunately, most PCPs are not equipped to handle injury care. To properly treat an injury you need tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment, a properly trained staff and a doctor with the specialized experience and knowledge to manage an injury with as much magnitude as a car accident.. Typically, the best practices of whiplash treatment include electric muscle stimulation, ultrasound therapy, exercise therapy and chiropractic adjustments. You will not find any of these treatments in a typical primary care practice.

 

 

Have you or a loved one been injured in a car accident? Have you been turned away by your primary care doctor? You are not alone. At South Lake Wellness & Injury Center, we have 3 chiropractic physicians that have been trained extensively to treat and manage your injuries. 

 

We know what your personal injury insurance covers, how to communicate with your insurance company and attorney, and have all of the state of the art equipment to get you on the road to your recovery.

 

Dr. Peter Brockman is our most senior chiropractic physician. Along with his microbiology degree from USF and doctor of chiropractic from The Cleveland Chiropractic College of Los Angeles, he attended the Spine Research Institute of San Diego for an advanced certification in whiplash and brain traumatology. This training gave him insight into the diagnosis, treatment and a thorough understanding of how to effectively document injuries and testify as witness on behalf of our patients. He also is licensed in the state of Florida to provide acupuncture. Dr Brockman is the team chiropractor for the Orlando Solar Bears professional Hockey team.

 

Also, it is very important to remember, that you must be seen by a physician within 14 days of your car accident or you will lose all of your medical coverage through your auto insurance. 


If you need care or you are not happy with the care you are receiving give us a call at (352) 241-4111 or request an appointment via our website at www.DrPeterBrockman.com.

 

 



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