Posted on Wednesday, August 17th, 2016 at 2:07 am
Have you been injured in an accident? Is the insurance adjuster asking you to sign a medical release so he can obtain copies of your medical records? If so, you need to contact our office before signing any releases or providing any further information to the insurance adjuster. Regardless of how nice the insurance adjuster may be or how many times the insurance adjuster tells you he is looking out for you, the adjuster is NOT working for you. He does not have your best interest as his top priority.
You deserve someone working for you that will protect your right to receive a fair settlement for your injuries. Call the Sacramento personal injury attorneys of the Tiemann Law Firm at (916) 999-9000 for a free consultation. We do not charge for your first visit because we want you to have the ability to obtain experienced, trusted legal counsel from an attorney who only has your best interest as his top priority.
Why Does The Insurance Adjuster Want My Medical Records?
The insurance adjuster will probably tell you he needs copies of your medical records to verify your injuries before you can receive compensation from the insurance company. This may be true; however, many adjusters have other reasons for asking you to sign a medical release. It is true, the insurance company will require you to provide copies of medical records to verify the extent of your injuries and to prove your injuries resulted from the accident. However, the request should be limited to medical records that relate directly to the accident.
Some insurance adjusters present accident victims with a medical release that does not limit the time frame of the medical records. Therefore, the adjuster can obtain copies of your entire medical history. The main reason an insurance company wants access to all of your medical records is to limit its liability and reduce your settlement amount. If the insurance company can find a pre-exiting condition, it may try to allege your current injuries are not related to the accident.
This is a common practice for some insurance companies. An experienced personal injury attorney reviews each request for medical records to ensure it is a valid request. Having someone in your corner who understands how personal injury claims are processed by insurance companies can protect you from unfair practices that can reduce your settlement amount.
Independent Medical Exams
If you do not have an attorney, an adjuster may try to convince you that you must submit to an independent medical exam (IME) by a doctor chosen by the insurance company. For most accident victims, an IME is not required and it is not beneficial for the accident victim. The doctors who conduct IMEs are used over and over by insurance companies because the doctors usually disagree with the accident victim’s doctors. This is an attempt to raise doubt about your injuries to reduce the amount of money the insurance company must pay to settle your claim.
Before submitting to an IME, contact our office to discuss your legal rights and your options regarding your accident claim. Put the experience, skills, and resources of our law firm behind you.
Protect Your Right To A Fair Accident Settlement
Contact the Tiemann Law Firm by calling (916) 999-9000 or chat with a representative on our website to schedule a free case evaluation. Do not let an insurance adjuster or an insurance company take advantage of you. Let our attorneys protect your best interest!
