I do this by offering a lump sum payment to the doctor or hospital out of the settlement. After I know what the settlement is, of course.
There are reasons not to do this. If you or I have signed a document promising to pay the hospital in full out of the settlement, we probably will have to do that.
Another reason not to do this is if you want to go back to the doctor for more treatment. Hospitals may not be too picky about providing payment to someone who just negotiated to reduce their bill, but a doctor might not want to treat someone who paid him less out of the settlement than he billed them for.
How do I do this specifically? I call the collections manager, and tell them that I am about to settle your lawsuit. I tell them that you need to get as much money as you can from the settlement, to pay other bills.
With a hospital, I may tell them that they would discount the bill if you were an insurance company, that they would probably reduce the bill 50% for a health insurance company, and that I am just asking for the same break for you.
I point out that hiring a lawyer to enforce the collection will take months, and that the lawyer will charge a percentage in order to collect the money.
If the settlement is good – and it is, or I wouldn’t recommend it – I tell them that a trial could result in you not having enough money to pay their bill.
I am usually able to get a settlement that is good for my client.
If you’re worried about paying your doctor bill, why not speak to a truck accident attorney in Cincinnati. My phone is 513-621-4775.
Because all situations are different, and because there may be other facts pertaining to your case that I don’t know about, you should not rely on this answer for legal advice. I am not your attorney, and no lawyer client relationship has been formed. All discussions are limited to Ohio law unless otherwise indicated. And past performance cannot be used to predict future results.
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