Types of Medical Treatment
According to insurance companies/adjusters, not all medical services are created equal when assessing the value of a personal injury claim. Let’s take a look at some health care provider variables.
M.D.s and hospitals versus “alternative medicine”
One of the insurance industry’s strong prejudices is in favor of mainstream treatment by physicians, hospitals, and medical clinics—and against non-prescribed therapies such as chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, and other so-called “alternatives” to medicine. Medical treatments and billing that is incurred by a medical doctor, hospital, or by medical referral, mostly will be considered legitimate by almost any insurance adjuster and will usually be given a high value.
Physical therapy
Physical therapy is considered a high value treatment within the insurance industry including government (Medicare), state (Medicaid/Access), military and the major health care insurers. Physical therapy is commonly recommended or prescribed by a physician within the medical model of hospitals, short- and long-term rehabilitation facilities and outpatient facilities.
For most accident-related injury claims, physical therapy is commonly recommended and prescribed by a physician. In doing so, an insurance adjuster is less likely to discount these bills and even lump them into consideration as medical treatments at a higher value.
Treatments by chiropractors, acupuncturists, herbalists, massage therapists, and other non-medical healers typically are not prescribed or given the endorsement of a doctor’s prescription, and such are given less treatment value than physical therapy.
This does not mean that all of the available care options that a person can be provided are not of benefit and of course, primary concern should be to obtain the most appropriate and beneficial kind of medical care for a patient. But it does mean that the insurance companies/adjusters handling the claims will not count these expenses equally and that choosing services not provided by or prescribed by a medical physician may result in a lower rate of compensation.
This article presents only educational material and should not be taken as a substitute for the advice of a medical professional. Before following any advice found here or in other medical instructional materials, please consult with your doctor.
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