04 Apr Gaps in Medical Treatment – Bad for Personal Injury Cases
If you have a personal injury case, the insurance company loves nothing more than to see a gap in medical treatment. Insurance companies use gaps in medical treatment as an excuse to discount the full value of an injured person’s case.
A gap in medical treatment is a period (usually longer than a month in the beginning of the case or a week or more after the first month of the date of injury) where the injured person does not go to a doctor, hospital or therapist.
There can be good excuses for gaps in medical treatment, such as inability to miss time from work, family vacations, a death in the family, or an emergency. If that is the case, it is important to notify your health professional of the reason for the missed appointment so it can be appropriately documented in your medical file. Remember: in injury cases, if it is not in your medical record, it is more difficult to explain the event later.
If an injured person does not have a good, documented excuse for a gap in medical treatment, it can cost an injured person potentially thousands of dollars on the value of their case. In some instances, a gap can absolutely kill an injured person’s otherwise good case.
It is important for an injured person to keep a good line of dialogue with their doctor to ensure they are receiving timely and appropriate medical care. It is also important for an injured person to consult with a personal injury attorney to ensure a claim is brought within the applicable statute of limitations.
Tarun B. Rana, Esq.
Address: 655 Craig Rd, Ste 252, St. Louis, MO 63141
Phone: 314-329-7690
Facsimile: 314-735-4097
Email: tarun@ranalawgroup.com
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