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Myth #6: If You Sign the Insurance Company’s Medical Authorization, You’ll Settle Sooner

Myth #6: If You Sign the Insurance Company’s Medical Authorization, You’ll Settle Sooner

Truth: One of the biggest mistakes that accident victims make is to give the other guy’s insurance company access to their private, personal medical records.

The insurance companies don’t make billions of dollars by doing favors for you. By giving your adjuster access to your very private and personal medical records, you are allowing him full access to information that he or she can now control.

You do not want your adjuster asking your doctor to provide medical opinions that may hurt you. You would be much better off having your attorney in control of the medical opinions that are requested… and the way they are requested.

For instance, by using a medical authorization signed by you, your insurance adjuster may ask your doctor for a written opinion responding to your adjuster’s question worded this way:

Please state whether you are absolutely, 100% certain that every aspect of this back injury occurred when Mr. Smith was in a very minor automobile accident on January 1, 2009.

At Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers, we would rather ask your doctor to respond to the question worded this way:

As you know, Mr. Smith never treated with a physician or suffered from back pain until he was in a rear end motor vehicle collision on January 1, 2009. You began treating Mr. Smith for his back injury two days later on January 3, 2009. Please state whether it is more likely then not that Mr. Smith suffered his back injury in his accident on January 1, 2009, when the car he was operating was suddenly and violently struck in the rear?

Regardless of whether your insurance adjuster or your lawyer asks this question, once your doctor answers it in a written report, it is a permanent part of your case. This report cannot be re-written.

So think about it…

Would you rather have your doctor respond to your insurance adjuster who wins when you lose, or do you want your doctor to respond to Jon Ostroff as your attorney? Remember, Jon wins when you win.