In the aftermath of a car accident, you will need to make contact with a variety of different types of entities. These include insurance companies, but also health care providers of different types. Not only do you need to be cautious of documents you sign related to insurance claims you must also take care when it comes to paperwork provided by a healthcare provider. When you seek medical treatment following an accident, you need to understand that some healthcare providers will provide you with what is called a “Lien Agreement.” The Lien Agreement is likely to be part of the packet of initial intake forms provided to you by a healthcare provider. If you are like the vast majority of people, you sign whatever is handed to you by a healthcare provider. This is particularly the case when you are injured and not feeling your best. The reality is that there is a great deal of truth in the long-used adage that you must – must – read and understand what you sign. In addition to reading and understanding what you actually sign, when it comes to documents provided to you following an accident, there are certain agreements that you must not sign. The Lien Agreement is one of them. A Lien Agreement from a healthcare provider is designed to give the doctor or hospital the ability to bypass your health insurance company and engage a lien company to pay for the services provided to you. Signing this agreement will lower the amount of recovery you personally receive when your claim is settled or when you get a judgment in a lawsuit. The challenges of navigating the paperwork you face following an accident underscores the need for capable and experienced legal assistance in the aftermath of an accident. The attorneys on our legal team at Harding & Associates stand ready to schedule an initial consultation with you. You can schedule a no-obligation, no-cost initial consultation by calling our offices at 800-878-7888 or 303-762-9500. During an initial consultation, we have the opportunity to begin to evaluate your case. We can also explain to you the full range of legal services we can provide to you in the aftermath of an accident. Source: Blog

In the aftermath of a car accident, it is very easy for an injured person to make a misstep when dealing with an insurance company. In other words, following an accident, the other driver’s insurance company will make contact with the injured person. The insurance company may appear to be make reasonable, logical and necessary requests of the injured party. However, in the final analysis, an injured person oftentimes makes significant mistakes when dealing with an insurance company following a car accident. Requests for Medical Records, Including Medical Bills If you are injured in a car accident, the other driver’s insurance company will approach you to sign a release for medical records. The insurance company will tell you that these records are necessary in order to fully consider the claim you have filed for compensation. Although there is some truth to this, and medical records are necessary, the insurance company also wants to get its hands on billing statements. The reality is that an insurance company is not legally entitled to see everything on a billing statement. You have the right to have some elements of the billing statement redacted. What that means is that there are elements of a billing statement that do not have to be provided to an insurance company. This is one area in which a significant mistake can be made when dealing with an insurance company. By way of example, assume that you were billed $50,000 for medical treatment. However, the hospital discounted that amount to $10,000. This is a process that commonly happens with health care providers of all types. The insurance company will see the discount and realize that you were only obligated to pay $10,000. If you end up reaching a settlement, this lower amount is what the insurance company will pay. As mentioned previously, you were not obligated to provide the insurance company with any information from a billing statement that showed the amount discounted by the hospital or other health care provider. By retaining a lawyer promptly after an accident, you best protect yourself from this type of scenario. You put yourself in the best possible position to maximize your compensation. The legal team at Harding & Associates stands ready to schedule an initial consultation with you. You can schedule a no-obligation, no-cost initial consultation by calling our offices at 800-878-7888 or 303-762-9500. Source: Blog