subject: Tips for Chiropractors [print this page] Tips for Chiropractors Tips for Chiropractors
Two practice characteristics that facilitate:
(1) Prompt payment of your billings via PIP;
and
(2) Quick settlement on 3rd party claims.
Documentation
Yes, your records do matter a great deal. Particularly if you are the primary treating physician as is usually the case. Some providers believe that insurance does not really look at the chiropractic records, or that the less said the better. This is simply not true. Even if documentation entails merely a brief notation cataloging general physical/emotional complaints at a given visit, it provides a credible account of the patient's suffering and progress. At times, you will be the only provider overseeing care and in a unique position to detail the experiences of the patient. This documentation can greatly enhance a patient's claim by providing an authoritative corroboration of their pain complaints.
Diligence
Diligence in not only documentation of the patient's treatment status and progress, but in submitting billing to insurance, especially if the patient has personal injury protection. PIP pays your bill in full and in a timely fashion only when submitted properly and consistently. It goes without saying that it is in your interest to be paid as quickly as is feasible. When PIP is attached, it is also in your control. By submitting billings and records to PIP on a regular basis, you will be paid you billed amount throughout the patient's course of treatment. Remember, time is of the essence because other providers may also be submitting billings and PIP pays on a first come first serve basis. Once PIP is exhausted, no one gets paid until final settlement of the claim. Timely and prompt billing requests to PIP also benefits the patient with respect to subrogation/reimbursement later, by ultimately making more funds available for the patient at settlement, which in turn facilitates settlement in the first place.
Consult aPersonal Injury Attorney. Attorneys and injured victims in the state of Washington benefit from Mahler case law which requires insurance to pay their portion of attorney fees in a personal injury case. This is a tremendous benefit for car accident victims and also extremely benfitial to chiropractors who handle their cases.
