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How to Document Your Medical Expenses After a Serious Injury
Mar 27, 2018 by Adler Markoff & Associates
The injuries that result from a motor vehicle crash or other serious accident can require a lot of expensive medical treatment. Although a personal injury claim can help compensate you for medical bills and other costs, many accident victims lose track of some of their bills, which means they never get the full compensation they deserve.

It’s understandable to feel overwhelmed after a wreck, and to struggle with keeping everything organized while you’re trying to recover both physically and mentally. However, accurately documenting your medical expenses is critical for your legal case. Below, we’ll suggest some simple strategies that can help you keep track of your medical bills after a severe injury.

How Do I Get My Injury-Related Medical Bills Paid?
The process for getting your medical bills paid will vary depending on whether you have a personal MedPay policy (sometimes called personal injury protection, or PIP, insurance). A MedPay policy covers medical bills and some other types of expenses that can follow from a car or truck crash.

There are several important advantages to a MedPay policy:

MedPay is a no-fault system. Even if you caused or contributed to the accident, MedPay will cover your medical bills up to your policy limit.
MedPay doesn’t charge co-pays or deductibles. Unlike your health insurance policy, MedPay doesn’t require you to pay expensive co-pays or deductibles.
Oklahoma law doesn’t allow subrogation for MedPay benefits. This means that if you get MedPay benefits and then receive compensation from a personal injury claim as well, your MedPay insurer can’t demand that you pay back the benefits.
At AMA Law, we encourage all our clients to purchase MedPay coverage because of these advantages.

If you have MedPay and you’ve suffered a serious injury, you should file a MedPay claim immediately. Your health care providers should bill your MedPay insurer directly for your treatment. Contact a personal injury lawyer immediately if your MedPay insurer denies your claim or gives you any trouble.

If you don’t have MedPay coverage, you’ll have to demand payment from the negligent party’s insurance company. Unfortunately, the insurance company probably won’t make you a fair offer for compensation unless you work with an attorney and let them know you’re serious about pursuing your legal options, up to and including a lawsuit.

RELATED VIDEO: Oklahoma Personal Injury Information

Should I Bill My Health Insurance for Accident-Related Treatment?
If you have an employer-supplied health plan or other health insurance coverage, your health care providers can bill this insurance policy. This should help pay the doctors and hospitals while you resolve your legal claims, which can take some financial pressure off you. However, your health insurance provider will expect reimbursement for the medical bills they paid if you settle or win your claim and receive damages intended to cover those medical bills.

If you’re not sure how to deal with your medical bills after an injury, contact an Oklahoma personal injury lawyer for assistance. An attorney can help you understand your insurance policies, claims, and legal options in the wake of a serious accident.

Five Tips for Documenting Your Medical Expenses
After a serious injury, it’s important to keep detailed and meticulous records. If you accidentally forget to submit a medical bill or expense to the insurance company, it can severely limit your options for compensation.

At AMA Law, we recommend that injured victims take the following steps to organize their information and medical records after an injury.

Save everything: After a hospitalization or surgery, you’ll get a series of medical bills from the surgeon, anesthesiologist, hospital, radiologist, and any other specialists who provided treatment. Don’t throw away any of your accident-related bills, whether they are for medical treatment, an ambulance ride, a medication, or a ramp for your home to accommodate physical limitations created by your accident.

Stay organized: You’re going to have a lot of bills and other documents related to your accident. If you shove them in a drawer and forget about them, you’ll lose information. Instead, keep everything organized in a binder or folder, or scan the documents and store them digitally (preferably in the cloud, not locally on a hard drive). Your attorney will need all of this information to assess your case and calculate your damages.

Keep a journal of your experiences: List all your medical appointments, the treatment you received, and your response to the treatment in a journal or calendar. A journal can help you track your medical appointments, and it also provides a place for you to document the state of your body and mind after an injury.

Be informed: Your damages might include the expected cost of future medical treatment related to your accident. Ask your doctors questions about your long-term prognosis and the likelihood that you’ll need additional medical treatment in the future.

Don’t go it alone: Calculating the full extent of your damages is an intricate and complicated process. If you’re having difficulties keeping track of everything and estimating the value of your claim, that’s okay. Just contact an experienced Oklahoma personal injury lawyer for help.
While these steps might seem like a lot of work, you’ll be glad you followed them if you decide to file a personal injury claim and demand fair compensation for your injuries. Having detailed, comprehensive records of your health and medical treatment will give your attorney the information they need to assess your case, investigate your claim, properly calculate your damages, and negotiate with the insurance company.

RELATED: I Was Seriously Injured — Why Is the Insurance Company’s Offer So Low?

AMA Law: Fighting for Injured Victims in Oklahoma
The personal injury lawyers at AMA Law are committed to defending the rights of victims in Oklahoma who suffer injuries because of other people’s negligence. We focus on injury cases that involve car and truck crashes, medical malpractice, dangerous drugs, and defective products. We believe that the victims of negligence deserve compassion, aggressive legal representation, practical advice, and consistent communication from their attorney.

To get a free assessment of your case from one of our experienced injury lawyers, fill out our convenient online contact form or call us at (405) 607-8757.

The content provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject.