Releasing Medical Records to Another Driver’s Insurance Company

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Whether to provide medical records in any personal injury claim (and what to share) are decisions that are best made by an experienced lawyer.  If your medical records are received by an adjuster of an opposing insurance company, the information could be harmful to your claim.

So, even though you might feel that releasing your medical records is a good faith gesture that could expedite compensation, you can’t tell how they can be distorted in order to destroy your chance to recover fair damages (or any compensation at all).  Usually, when you get to this point in the claims process, if you haven’t spoken with a lawyer, it’s a good idea to seek one out as soon as possible.

Advantages to Hiring a DC Personal Injury Lawyer

There are several advantages to hiring an attorney with experience dealing with accidents and insurance companies including:

• If the insurance company knows you have an attorney, you will not be the point of contact, and it will have to deal with only your lawyer. This can save you a great deal of time, stress, and negotiating over the phone and via mail.
• Experienced insurance lawyers understand the difference between information that carriers need in order to process a claim properly, and superfluous data that have no value to the process. Sharing non-applicable information gives insurers excuses to dispute your injury or the claim amount, or go on a “fishing expedition” to find previous medical conditions they might claim as pre-existing condition, to deny compensation.  By having your attorney provide the defendant’s carrier with your records, non-essential information can be redacted (blacked out) or eliminated altogether.
• Without the constant back-and-forth between you and the insurance company, your lawyer can potentially expedite any claim that you file, ensuring that you get the compensation you deserve in a much more timely manner than you would have otherwise.

For these reasons, having an experienced injury lawyer to deal with the defendant’s insurer (or any liable third party) tells them that they need to deal with your claim fairly.  Before making a decision of whether you want to release your medical records it may be in your best interest to contact an experienced attorney who will look out for your best interests and advise you on the best course of action to take. A lawyer will respect your privacy by keeping all medical information surrounding your claim privileged, and away from those who have no right to view this sensitive personal information.