Adam Krause, a personal injury lawyer in Kansas City, Missouri recently wrote a great blog post on ordering medical records and the specific records that should be ordered in a car accident case. In the post, Adam points out the following facts that all folks making a Leesburg, Florida car accident claim should know:
- Medical records are not cheap to order and the cost is eventually passed on to the client so only the relevant medical records should be ordered.
- Some car accident victims will get tricked into giving the insurance company a blank medical authorization thinking that it will cost them less many, however, in the long run it can cost the injury victim a lot of money, because the insurance authorizations allow the insurance company to find out way more medical information that necessary for the standard car accident case.
- Don’t send the insurance company your records until you have read every page. There could be mistakes in the record that the insurance company will consider Gospel if the misinformation is sent to them. I’ve had cases where patients, who had the same name, records were mixed up by the doctors office.
- You should request a business record certification with your request because it may save you money if you have to go to trial. In court, medical records are considered hearsay for evidentiary purposes because they are an out of court statement that is being used for the truth of the matter (your injury). There is a business records exception to the hearsay rule, which will allow you to admit the records into evidence before the court without having to call a witness to trial to testify regarding the records accuracy. Every time you have to call a witness, it costs money, which ends up coming out of any settlement or verdict.
The medical records process is one of the most important elements in a Florida car accident claim and if it isn’t done correctly, it may cost the car accident victim thousands of bucks in the long run.
If you have any questions about requesting medical records after a Florida car accident, Call 352-267-9168.