Best Practices for Chiropractors: Navigating Personal Injury Documents, Patients, and Billing Posted on Sep 11, 2023

Best Practices for Doctors with Personal Injury Documents, Patients, and Billing


image of chiropractor documenting case on our chiro online CE pageCCEDseminars | The Only Name For Online Chiro CE!The world of personal injury documents encompasses a landscape of both opportunities and pitfalls for practitioners. In handling patients, coding, and various documentation processes, adopting the best practices can elevate your chiropractic practice to becoming the gold standard for personal injury (PI) cases. Here, we delve into the good, the bad, and the ugly of PI documentation, guiding you to harmonize your practice with the demands of the industry while nurturing your relationship with both patients and attorneys.

The Good

Storytelling through Documentation

A well-narrated story derived from your notes can be a powerful tool in the hands of trial attorneys. The picture you paint about the patients’ life before and after the incident, grounded on detailed medical evaluations and responses to treatment protocols, can be instrumental in securing favorable settlement results. It is imperative that the treatment and the codes align perfectly with the notes to facilitate a stronger case for the attorney while enhancing the valuation of the case.

Robust Lien Agreements or Letters of Protection

A stalwart lien agreement or a letter of protection (LOP) stands as the linchpin of a successful PI practice. It should encapsulate agreements regarding attorney signatures, stipulations on the full charge responsibility of the patient irrespective of the case outcome, and clarity on claim priorities and bill reductions.

Consistent Good Faith Estimates (GFEs) and Interim Bills

In line with the No Surprises Act, it is mandatory to furnish the patients with GFEs to protect them from unexpected billing surprises and to maintain transparency throughout the treatment process.

The Bad

Inaccurate Accident Diagrams

Creating accident diagrams can potentially breed liability issues, considering that neither you nor your patients are expert accident reconstructionists. Maintaining a neutral stance is essential to avoid coming across as biased.

Unsupervised Pain Scale Indications

Allowing patients to indicate pain scales unsupervised can lead to discrepancies and unreliable data, which can have detrimental effects on the case. Ensuring that this activity is undertaken in your presence can foster accuracy and reliability in data collection.

The Ugly

Failure to Authenticate the Reasonableness of Your Fees

The realm of PI is fraught with scrutiny, especially pertaining to the reasonableness of fees and charges. Establishing the reasonableness of your fees from the outset, backed with substantial data and comparisons, can act as a shield against unwarranted attacks on your billing practice. Utilizing databases like FAIR Health Consumer and Context Health for fee comparisons can be instrumental in fortifying your billing practice.

Learning from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

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Embracing the best practices and steering clear of the bad and ugly aspects of PI documentation can be a game-changer in handling personal injury documents, patients, and billing proficiently. Learn from the good and avoid the pitfalls to foster a chiropractic practice that stands tall on the pillars of reliability, transparency, and excellence.

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