Many people rely on chiropractors for adjustments, especially when they are dealing with serious discomfort and back issues. While many people find chiropractors helpful, many doctors question the efficacy of their treatment. All in all, many car accident victims wonder whether they can see a chiropractor after a crash.
If you have pain after a car accident, your first stop should be the hospital. Especially when dealing with an emergency situation from a car accident, the hospital is the safest place to turn because of concerns that another care facility might not be properly equipped to help and might not accept car insurance billing. After that, you should work with your lawyer to see what you can get covered and to keep track of your care plan and any follow-up appointments.
For a free case review of your car accident case, contact the Maryland car accident lawyers at Rice, Murtha & Psoras by calling (410) 694-7291.
Where to Get Care After a Car Accident in Maryland
After a crash, you might not know what doctor to see. You could have a chiropractor you trust along with a primary care physician you usually see. You might also consider going to an urgent care clinic if your injuries are not too severe rather than going to a hospital. Generally speaking, our Easton car accident lawyers typically advise going to the hospital rather than any other care provider after a car crash.
With a car accident, your bills will often be covered by first-party benefits like MedPay or through the defendant’s insurance under Maryland law. While you might initially pay out of pocket rather than having the insurance company pay the care provider directly, many care providers will simply not accept you as a patient after a car crash.
Many healthcare providers are not set up to accept “third-party” billing from an insurance company and will turn you away. Similarly, if your injuries are severe or could have additional underlying effects that you need an X-ray or MRI to reveal, your doctor or chiropractor might tell you to go to the ER at the hospital instead. Some doctors also just do not want to be embroiled in car accident cases.
ERs cannot turn patients away because of billing and are usually set up to accept third-party billing, making them the best place to turn after a car accident. While you might prefer your favorite doctor or chiropractor, they might simply be unequipped to help you, and any delay in care could be detrimental. So, your first stop after a car accident should be the hospital.
Can I Get Follow-Up Care from a Chiropractor After a Maryland Car Crash?
When you seek out care at a hospital, the doctor that treats you will usually tell you what to do regarding follow-up care. Many car accident victims who face mild to moderate injuries will simply follow up with their primary care provider, and additional care might not be needed. With more serious injuries, you could be set up with appointments with physical therapists and other specialists. It is important that you follow this care plan and do not do anything that might jeopardize your recovery.
If you miss appointments or fail to follow up with the recommendations for ongoing care, you might not be able to get full damages paid. By failing to follow up, you could contribute to making your injuries worse, cutting off your ability to get compensation. Car accident victims must “mitigate damages” by keeping appointments and following through with their care plan, and failing to see the recommended physical therapists and other specialists could hurt your recovery.
Along with this, you should avoid seeking additional care outside the recommendations. Many doctors are skeptical of chiropractors and might instead recommend care from physical therapists that might include therapeutic massage and other similar treatments but no chiropractic care. You can certainly talk to your doctor about incorporating chiropractic care, but if they advise against it, then you could jeopardize your recovery by seeking out chiropractic care against your doctor’s advice.
Are Chiropractors Safe for Car Accident Victims?
We are lawyers and do not assume to give medical advice. Generally, our lawyers can work with your doctors to keep track of your medical bills and what care you are recommended to follow through with. We might even have doctors that we can set you up with to get the care you were recommended. However, our lawyers are not in the habit of advising car accident victims on what care they need from a medical standpoint.
Anecdotal evidence and stories from patients often cut both ways. Many people have found chiropractic care helpful in their lives and have even reported feeling like they have a new lease on life after getting this care for a car accident injury. However, many of these stories come from people seeking chiropractic care years after a car accident, not as emergency care. Horror stories also come from the other side, with car accident victims ending up with worsened conditions after seeking chiropractic care to treat their car accident injuries.
Overall, the only advice we can give is to discuss your injuries with the doctor who treated you and with your primary care physician to come up with a treatment plan that fits your needs. From there, make sure to follow all recommended treatments to avoid jeopardizing your injury case.
What Medical Bills Are Covered After a Car Accident in Maryland?
Generally, any medical expenses you face related to the car accident should be paid for in an injury claim. When filing a third-party claim against the at-fault driver’s auto insurance, you should be able to get full coverage for your medical bills up to their policy limits. If you have your own supplemental insurance coverage for medical expenses, it might involve deductibles and limits, covering only a percentage of the bills.
Ultimately, insurance companies might have policies about what care is covered and what care is not. This could mean denial of coverage for things like holistic medicine, supplements, or chiropractic care outside of your doctor’s official recommendations.
Call Our Car Accident Attorneys in Maryland Today
Call (410) 694-7291 after a car accident for a free case review with Rice, Murtha & Psoras’ Baltimore car accident attorneys.