William D. Robison Personal Injury Law Blog on Lawyers.com

As the injured victim of an automobile collision in Washingtion or Oregon your first priority is to make sure your medical bills are paid. If you choose to undergo chiropractic treatment selecting the right chiropractor can make a big difference in the out come of your personal injury claim. The money spent on medical treatment is your money and it must be used wisely.

Chiropractic treatment is effective treatment for sprain/strain type injuries to the spine, dizziness induced by whiplash and often for extremity injuries. As an injury automobile accident victim choosing the right Chiropractor can make a big difference in the outcome of your treatment and help you obtain fair compensation for your personal injury claim. Experienced personal injury and automobile accident attorneys know which Chiropractors provide quality treatment and support their patients in presentation of their injury claims. There are many qualified providers in the Portland Oregon, Vancouver Washington area.

Tips for Selecting a Chiropractor:

1. Ask about experience with automobile accident and personal injury claims. Has the doctor attended post graduate training in accident injury evaluation and treatment?

2. Has he/she testified in court or given depositions for cases? Will the doctor come to court for a reasonable fee to help you prove your case? Ask for the names of some Portland or Vancovuer personal injury attorneys the doctor has worked with, call them and ask what they think.

3. Does the doctor work with multiple attorneys? Most chiropractors maintain a list of attorneys they know to have experience in car crash and personal injury cases and deliver quality results. Doctors who work with only one attorney are often directing you to their collection agent. It might save you a lot of grief if you ask an experienced automobile accident attorney about the doctor before you start treatment.

4. Does the doctor have an intake and examination protocol specific to cases involving personal injury claims? Look for detailed intake information on the mechanism of injury, biomechanics and past medical history. A detailed multi-page auto accident injury questionaire that asks meaningful questions is a must. The intake examination should be very detailed and include orthopedic, neurologic and chiropractic tests. Often an hour or more is spent in intake and exam on the first visit.

5. An experienced doctor knows that questions like "how fast was the other car going" are traps. Rarely will a rear-end collision victim have any realistic way to estimate the speed of the other car. Studies have proven that drivers who are rearended almost always over estimate the speed of the impact. The same studies show that those who rear end other drivers almost always underestimate their own speed. If you are asked to estimate speed you should also be asked what the basis for the estimate is. 

6. Ask to see your x-rays. If you can't actually see the bones clearly the x-rays are of little use and are a waste of your money. Many top quality Chiropractors often refer out radiographic services to ensure good quality. 

7. Beware of attempts to make you fear that your injuries will result in death if not treated chiropractically. There is no evidence that subluxations cause death.

8. Ask, "do you refer to and receive referrals from medical doctors"? Ask for names.

9. Beware of the "treatment plan" contract. Any treatment plan that predicts more than 4-8 weeks of treatment at a time is suspect. Proper treatment protocol requires re-evaluations regularly and adjustment of treatment accordingly. If you are asked to sign a contract for a specific treatment plan leave the office and don't look back. Read any treatment plan carefully. We recently examined one that charged $70 a visit for physical therapy, nearly $2,000. The "physical therapy" was to have the patient sit in a wobble chair while waiting to see the doctor. While that is creative use of time in the waiting room it is hardly physical therapy.

10. Beware of "the Lord sent you to me" and similar schemes that prey on your religious beliefs or fears for your health. There are practice building "gurus" who actually teach doctors to use guilt and fear to keep patients coming back, even if the patient is convinced treatment is doing no good.

11. If you are told you have to bring your spouse or children to a lecture hosted by the doctor before you can become a patient be very cautious, this is often a sales tactic used to instill fear in you and your family to induce you to seek treatment.

12. Don't continue to treat if you have ongoing pain, severe pain or numbness in an arm or leg, severe headache or poor results unless you have been referred to a specialist. If you are not given a referral go see a M.D. If you think your treatment is "too much" it probably is. Good Chiropractors have no qualms about referring you outside their specialty area.

13. Ask the doctor if he or she will continue to treat you on a letter of protection if your medical bills exceed your insurance coverage. It is all right if the doctor says "yes, but you will have to find an attorney first" and suggests several local personal injury attorneys. Beware of referrals to firms that do not actually have a presence in your local area of Vancouver Washington or Portland Oregon. These firms may be mills looking for a quick settlement that leaves you without fair payment. If so your case will be dropped if work actually has to be done to help you.

Once Treatment Begins

14. Ask to see your chart notes. If there are only a few scribbles that you can't read or understand don't expect an insurance adjuster to put much credence in anything else the doctor provides. Many charting programs "default" in a way that may make your recovery seem much better than you feel it is so make sure you agree with the chart. 

15. Don't treat with a doctor who does not or won't talk to you. Every visit should include at least a few minutes with the doctor to discuss your progress and symptoms. If you are simply handed a short form to fill out and placed in a room where the doctor, or an associate, pops in, pops your back and pops out, you are the victim of a practice scheme designed to maximize profit, not results.

16. Watch your bills. Keep an eye on the bills. A common scheme involves sending bills only to the insurance company, not to the patient. Coincidentally in some practices the treatment plan and bills result in a miraculous cure when the cost hits the Washington or Oregon statutory Personal Injury Protection medical payment limit. Often the patient still has significant problems but now has no money for further treatment and owes a balance to the chiropractor.