How to know you’re REALLY done with treatment
This post is admittedly a little “inside baseball” in that it deals with a very particular question in the claims management process. But it’s a question that’s arisen enough that I think it merits its own blog post, so here we go…
When we begin your claim, one of the many things I tell you is that when you’re released from medical care and deemed to be at “maximum medical improvement,” (MMI) that’s the point at which I request all of your records and bills. So it’s vital that I know precisely when that occurs.
What often happens is that a health care provider will predict to a patient that their next visit will be their last, or they’ll be done in 2 more weeks. The patient/client might hear that as fact and then report to me that they will be (future tense) done then.
The problem with that from my perspective is two fold: First, you might not actually be done, and second, you might not be at MMI.
I would say that more often than not, when a provider says you’re going to be done in 2 weeks, they actually end up having you come back at least once more, and maybe for a whole new round. The thing is, we just don’t know! So what I don’t want to do is take the 2 week prediction as fact and send out requests, only to find out it was inaccurate and then have to send those same requests yet again some other time when you are actually released. Let’s not do extra work. Let’s just wait until you’re actually released and truly done with treatment.
And even if that provider says you’re done with treatment, are you really at MMI? They may not think you’re at MMI until 1 year post-incident, or maybe 3 months post-release from care. Until you’re at MMI, they ‘re not going to be able to give me a full picture of your recovery in their notes, so even if they’ve predicted your release, you may not be at MMI, which means it’s just not time for me to go fetching stuff.
In short, you’re not REALLY done with treatment until your doc says, past tense, you are done with treatment. That’s when you know you’re done, and then it’s time to tell me. Not two weeks before. Not any time before. But AFTER you’re ACTUALLY released.
I know, I know, it’s a little picky, but that’s what you’re paying me for, to be picky about your claim. That just means I’m doing it right! If you have an injury claim in NC, call me at 919-929-2992.
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