Most people don’t know, or care to know, how an insurance company evaluates an injured person’s case. All insurance companies run some sort of valuation software, where the program gives them a value based on a number of different factors. Those factors include the type of treatment, length of treatment, permanent injuries and the cumulative average of the cost of that treatment, among other factors. Some forms of treatment are valued more than others. For instance, a person may get more points for physical therapy visits than for chiropractic treatment. Additionally, gaps of time in the course of treatment are known to devalue the case.
If a doctor recommends a course of therapy or treatment for you, it is in your best interest not only for your health and recovery, but also for your case. Treatment doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and real life does get in the way. Most of us have jobs, families and other obligations that sometimes make it difficult to get to your appointments. Make the time. Insurance companies don’t understand when an attorney represents to them that their client is injured, and has suffered significant pain as a result of the accident, and the adjuster indicates that their client was prescribed 12 physical therapy visits and only attended two sessions, especially when the client has some form of health insurance. A case is not given a value because of the amount of visits a particular client is prescribed, but how many you attend, and the appointments the client does not attend negatively affects his or her case, which may cause the claim to linger, even make it necessary for lawsuit to be filed, which could delay resolution for years.
At Trantolo & Trantolo, we recommend that our clients make the time to get the treatment that their treating physician reasonably recommends. We advise our clients that if you have issues with attending your sessions, whether it is not being able to afford the co-pays, don’t have health insurance or cannot find a facility that accepts your health plan payments, it is imperative that you contact your attorney right away. As we celebrate our 75th year serving Connecticut, there is no issue that we have not encountered before and cannot help you not only with piece of mind, but also with the care you need.
