Saturday, November 26, 2016

FIND THE RIGHT DOCTOR FOR YOUR INJURY

Most people are traumatized in the aftermath of an accident or injury. In fact, an auto accident victim may not even know that they are injured: adrenaline runs high and can mask pain, especially when there is damage to ligaments and tendons in the neck or back. It’s not uncommon for a person who thinks they are okay to wake up the next morning in a surprising amount of pain.

If you are ever the victim of an accident involving a vehicle, you should notify law enforcement immediately so that they can document relevant details at the scene. In the case of an accident, a slip and fall, or other type of injury, it’s important to seek medical attention as soon as possible, for several reasons:

Even in the event that you feel fine, there may be damage that only an X-ray or MRI will detect. If symptoms emerge at a later date, you will already have the necessary documentation.
By undergoing a medical exam or treatment as soon as you’re able, you can prevent additional damage for which you may not realize you are at risk. This is especially true of spinal injuries, which can be exacerbated even during sleep.
Seeking immediate care also protects you if your injury leads to litigation. Although you have up to 14 days to get treatment for an auto injury in Florida, the longer you wait, the harder it can be to connect your injury with the incident.
How to (And How Not to) Choose a Doctor
When seeking medical attention after an accident or injury, everyone wants the best. However, the best may not always be your first option: if an incident requires urgent care, the first caregiver you see might be the first available physician’s assistant in the emergency room. While ER providers are generally fine caregivers, the one you see may not be the type of specialist you require.

Whether you need an internal medicine doctor for injuries to organs or an orthopedic physician or chiropractor for injuries to joints or ligaments, you should ultimately seek the best physician you can.

Unfortunately, the “review culture” of the Internet makes it nearly impossible to find a service provider or product with nothing but 5-star reviews. Look up your favorite fine dining establishment on Yelp, and you may find that someone has given it a 1-star rating because the napkins weren’t his favorite color; Google your beloved family physician, and you might be shocked to see a review condemning the entire practice – all because of an impolite front desk employee.

So whether you’re choosing a new physician, an attorney, or a plumber, it’s best to take negative online reviews with a large grain of salt, especially if most of the other reviews are positive.

Word of mouth isn’t a bad place to start, but keep in mind that not everyone has the same criteria for what constitutes appropriate medical care. After an auto accident, some patients insist on seeing an orthopedist, while others prefer to consult their chiropractic physician or family doctor first.

You can find good sources of information about physicians on a variety of websites. When seeking a medical doctor, board certification is typically the minimal requirement that patients will desire. Updated information on board certifications is available from the American Board of Medical Specialties at http://www.abms.org or http://www.certificationmatters.org. Although these sites are updated frequently, it’s often helpful to do some cross-checking.

Consulting an Attorney
The decision of whether to consult a personal injury attorney can be as intensely personal as the selection of a physician for medical treatment. In many cases, the choice isn’t made in the initial aftermath of an injury – it may be that the idea of consulting an attorney only occurs after difficulties with the insurance company representing the negligent party.

While The Florida Law Group can offer suggestions on general types of treatment to seek – for example, your back injury should be evaluated by an orthopedic specialist or chiropractor – our primary considerations are protecting your legal rights and getting you the greatest possible compensation for your injuries.


For more information, contact us at (813) 463-8880.


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