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I Was Just Injured In An Accident. My Doctor Treats This Type Of Injury, But I Don’t want The Insurance Company To Be Confused By Records Of My Earlier Treatment With Him. Should I Change Doctors?

Not unless the new doctor meets a medical or personal need.

Insurance companies have a way of learning – or at least suspecting – when there’s a past medical history.

One of the first things they do is to take your statement – and ask you questions about your medical history.

The second thing they will do is request your medical records (they need you to sign an authorization to be able to do this, but they usually won’t pay anything until you do).

And there is no such thing as one doctor’s medical records.

Why? Because your treatment records nearly always contain references to other doctors you’ve seen, other hospitals you’ve been to, and your medical history. If you have one x-ray at a hospital, the insurance company can effectively get records of all of your treatment at that hospital.

So it’s going to be really hard to hide records of earlier treatment – by anyone. And one thing insurance companies are looking out for is people who change doctors to hide something – or because they don’t like what the first doctor is telling them.

Usually, your records will back you up anyway. It’s unusual to get injured in precisely the same place twice – and a period of even two months without treatment before an accident can be enough to convince the insurance company that the accident is a new event in your medical history, unrelated to the earlier treatment.

What’s a good reason to change doctors? If your doctor isn’t paying enough attention to you. Or if you’re not getting better.

Or if you want to be treated by a specialist with a particular expertise in your injury.

Or if you are in a different geographic area than he is – for instance if you are in Cincinnati and your old doctor is in Dayton.

I have been a lawyer over 30 years. The people I work for have all different kinds of medical pasts. If you have questions about the effect of your medical treatmen on your lawsuit, talk with an experienced Lawyer. Call me, William Strubbe, at 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.

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