The problem with “independent medical examinations” is that these doctors are not “independent” at all, but rather high-priced hired guns who are paid a lot of money to terminate the accident victim’s insurance benefits. Many of these doctors do not even treat patients and make millions of dollars from the insurance companies by performing these exams. One neurologist recently admitted to earning over $10 million dollars for these exams.
There’s a good reason why the insurance companies are willing to fork over these huge sums of money to these doctors. It’s simple, they can pay a doctor less than $1,000 to perform and evaluation that will terminate benefits and it will save the insurance company tens of thousands of dollars in the future. The insurance adjuster will use this bogus examination report to cut off medical benefits, wage loss benefits, attendant care service benefits, and other benefits under the Michigan Auto No-Fault Insurance laws. These same doctors perform exams for employers and insurance companies in worker’s compensation cases.
The scary thing is that these not so independent doctors cause significant harm and damage to the injury victims. As a result of their bogus findings, the insurance company terminates payment for necessary medical treatment which leaves the patient without treatment and facing substantial medical bills. By cutting wage loss benefits, the injury victim is without income to support himself or his family.
The only recourse when benefits are terminated is to file a No-Fault insurance lawsuit. These types of cases take time and are filed to force the insurance company to pay back and future benefits. During the process of the lawsuit, the accident victim is still left without medical benefits or a wage loss payment. Therefore when choosing a lawyer, you will want to see what their previous settlements were and if they are able to force insurance companies to pay substantial settlements to their clients. If you hire a good lawyer, you may even get the insurance company to pay our legal fees.
If you were injured in an auto accident and had your benefits terminated because of an “independent medical exam,” you need to call a lawyer right away so that they are able to start working on your case immediately. Additionally, if an exam has been scheduled for you in the near future, you’ll want to speak to a lawyer who can give you advice before your exam. The lawyer may be able to prevent the doctor from cutting off your benefits if you speak to one beforehand.
