Should You Release Your Medical Records In A Personal Injury Claim?

Regardless of who’s handling your personal injury claim, you’ll need to share your medical records sooner or later. The insurance companies rely on this information to release your claim.

However, sharing your medical records may also damage your claim. The insurance company may use it to lower the liability costs.

Obviously, you should have doubts. Perhaps knowing what you should share instead of your complete medical history might help ease your agony.

 

Understand The Discrepancies

As already mentioned, sharing your medical records may harm your case and affect damage recovery. Of course, the insurance company is also a business and would try every possible argument to protect its money.

In most cases, unless you’re seeking workers’ compensation, your medical expenses would be covered end to end. It means, your expenses on hospitalization, medicines, therapies, and more will be covered, no matter what.

However, sharing the complete medical history may allow the insurer to argue that your condition is due to any pre-existing injury. And this may reduce your claim value, significantly. So, rather than sharing your complete history, you must only share the records concerning the current case.

 

Share What’s Needed Only

Even if you’re sharing your current case details, you must not rush. Signing off the medical release form too soon may also decrease your claim value. The insurer wouldn’t have complete information about your medical expenses, and would only process what you would have borne until now.

Besides, you must also understand that not all of the documents need to be shared. The experts at Golden Law Office explain that insurance companies only require bills and reports. In addition to this, you may also need to share a statement from your doctor to certify that the injuries were caused by the accident stated.

Your doctor may also withhold some records and reports. But, generally, these records are of the least importance to the concerning case, legally. While they may still be of great importance for medical interpretation. In case you access this information, experts suggest that this information must also be not shared with the defending attorney.

 

Follow Up With The Insurer

As already mentioned, you would need to release your medical information sooner or later. But, assuming that sharing this information would clear your claim could be foolhardy.

The liability claim is a time-consuming process. Especially, if the claim involves a major disability or wrongful death. In such cases, it could take months to resolve disputes even after releasing medical records.

It is possible that the case may enter courtroom trials, which can further delay the approval. However, with an experienced personal injury attorney, you would be able to receive good compensation. Meaning, it might be worth sometimes to wait for it to be over.

 

The Takeaway

Instead of sharing your medical history, you should rather be sharing what’s necessary. On top of it, having professional assistance with the case may further improve your chances of receiving the claim. The professionals can help you identify what documents to file with your claim, and what medical records to release.