Car accidents often leave drivers and passengers with serious injuries and in dire need of medical treatment. When injured victims go to file a lawsuit or insurance claims later, they often need medical records to prove their injuries.
Often, injured drivers are taken to the emergency room after a crash, and there should be medical records from the ER. If you underwent surgery, there should also be surgical records. We should also gather any prescriptions you might have been given and records from follow-up visits with your doctor. The more extensive your treatment, the more medical records for your case. Since patients generally have a right to their own medical records, getting copies should not be a problem. However, requesting copies sooner rather than later is best, as they might take time to assemble. Medical records may show how bad your injuries were and whether they were consistent with how the accident occurred.
Contact our Atlanta, GA car accident attorneys at Howe Law for a free case review today by calling (844) 876-4357.
Types of Medical Records You Might Need for a Car Accident Claim in Atlanta, GA
People sometimes think of medical records as a single collection of documents about a person’s medical history. While this is not entirely untrue, medical records can be a bit more complicated. Depending on the type of treatment you received, you might have numerous medical records in various hospitals or doctor’s offices.
Emergency Room Records
You might have been taken to the emergency room after a car crash. If that is the case, the hospital where you received emergency medical care should have records pertaining to your treatment. In the emergency room, doctors are prepared to employ numerous life-saving measures at any moment. In serious accident cases, injured drivers might get extensive, life-saving care in the ER. This care should be thoroughly and accurately reflected in your medical records. Our Georgia car accident lawyers can help you contact the emergency room where you were treated and request copies of your records.
Surgical Records
Many drivers are so badly hurt after an accident that they need surgery to treat their injuries. Surgery might occur immediately in the emergency room, or doctors might wait and see if the patient recovers without surgery before proceeding to the operating room.
Depending on where and where you underwent surgery, your medical records from the surgery might be in the same hospital as your ER records. However, it is not unusual for people in need of surgeries to be sent to other hospitals to meet with other doctors and surgeons. Surgery is a complicated procedure, and a specialist from another hospital might be necessary for your specific type of surgery. As such, your surgical records might be in a different medical institution, and we need to make a separate request for those records.
Prescriptions
Medication is common in various kinds of treatment, both serious and minor. While we often take medication for granted and do not think much of taking a few pills as per the doctor’s orders, medication can be complex and have severe effects on your health and well-being.
Records of intense medicines prescribed only in emergency circumstances may help us prove how bad your injuries really are. Some medication is only prescribed under dire circumstances because the side effects are so severe. For example, certain painkillers are only administered in extreme situations because they can be extremely addicting, and the risk for abuse is high. Having records of what kind of medicine you were prescribed and the dosages may help us prove how badly you were injured and what kind of damages you suffered.
Follow-Up Records
After a car accident, injured drivers often receive extended medical care over a period of time. Follow-up visits with surgeons and doctors are fairly common. Sometimes, additional treatment is prescribed, and we need this information to establish the extent of your injuries and damages in court. We need your medical records from every time you went to see the doctor, even if you did not receive any further treatment. This includes follow-up visits with your treating physician and second opinions from other doctors.
How to Obtain Copies of Medical Records for Car Accident Claims in Atlanta, GA
Getting copies of your medical records is not always easy. While you are legally entitled to receive copies of your own medical records, you usually cannot simply walk into the doctor’s office, ask for copies of your medical records, and walk out with the records in hand. Unfortunately, there might be some bureaucratic red tape to navigate.
Medical records are highly sensitive and classified information. Hospitals and doctors’ offices go to great lengths to protect medical records and ensure privacy. As such, we likely need to submit a formal written request for your medical records.
We can start by calling the hospital or checking their website for information. Many hospitals have an online portal where patients can request their medical records. Once the request is submitted, we might need to wait for a while before your records are ready.
Your records are a compilation of various bits of information, notes, and documentation from your medical treatment. It is probably not sitting in a neat stack waiting to be picked up; hospital administrators must assemble it.
Remember, if you were treated at more than one hospital or doctor’s office, we probably need to make separate requests for your medical records from each institution. It is important that you talk to your lawyer about all the medical care you received so you can get copies of all your relevant records.
Contact Our Atlanta, GA Car Accident Lawyers for Assistance Today
Contact our Atlanta, GA personal injury lawyers by calling Howe Law at (844) 876-4357 to schedule a free review of your case and discuss how to obtain copies of your medical records.
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