Here’s a scenario most person injury attorneys know well. A new client schedules an appointment, and explains how they were injured, and where were they treated. Intake forms are completed and the process of collecting medical records begins.
Missing Pieces?
At Record Retrieval Solutions (RRS), one thing we’ve noticed is that many of the record requests are missing some important billing records.Emergency Room treatment may have taken place, and expenses incurred but not be part of the hospital record.
If the client was seen in the ER, there usually is a separate bill for the ER physician’s service which is completely separate from the hospital’s bill. It is necessary to get this bill to maximize the amount of the claim to get all client’s bills paid from the accident. Many PI litigators simply don’t request ER billings when ordering records from the hospital as they expect all hospital expenses would be compiled and complete.
For example, if their client had any x-rays taken in the hospital, there is usually a separate bill for the radiologist to read the x-ray and produce a detailed report. Yet, this is another critical bill they need to request, whether or not the client recalls the procedure.
Valuable Experience
Record Retrieval Solutions is in a unique position. We see the requests coming from PI litigators and the insurance claims agent daily. This permits us to note requests for records that are included from the ER for a particular patient. Our experience includes the demands for up-to-date HIPAA forms. When the client has ongoing treatment – physical therapy is a typical example, HIPAA forms are often denied as out of date. A HIPAA release document, signed at client intake several months earlier, when presented for current records, will be denied by the provider as too old. Knowing a client has ongoing treatment should trigger a new signed HIPAA form every few months to avoid delays in getting current records.
RRS has been servicing the medical record retrieval for attorneys in personal injury, medical malpractice, class action and mass torts for over 25 years. We offer prompt service, with records maintained in strong-encrypted cloud servers based in the US. Visit us at www.recordrs.com and get your account started today.
If you are an RRS client and currently have an order for records with us or expect to do in the future, you should consider adding the emergency room records to your order.
It’s easy to do with an email to cdart@recordrs.com.
