#9 What’s most important when you’ve been injured through the fault of another?

QUESTION: What’s most important if you’ve been injured through the fault of another and you’re required to attend an Independent Medical Exam, IME?​

ANSWER: If you’re required to attend an Independent Medical Exam (IME) after being injured in a car accident, it’s important to notify the medical providers you’re receiving care from about the IME, and to continue receiving the treatment you need. Stopping or delaying your treatment can impact your recovery and complicate your insurance claim. Prioritizing your health is your number one priority and also helps ensure the fastest recovery — and protects your rights under your insurance policy.

What’s most important if you’ve been injured through the fault of another and you’re required to attend an Independent Medical Exam, IME?

There are few things more important than your health.

When you’ve been injured in a car accident and you’re in pain, you’re not able to take care of yourself or your family in the ways you need and want to.

If the discomfort from your injuries is also affecting your ability to work, that creates other problems and complexities.

According to Oregon statute, your car insurance company can require that you attend an Independent Medical Exam (IME) when they’re paying your medical bills for the treatment for injuries from an accident. We understand that having to attend an IME can add stress to an already difficult situation, and a challenging time.

Even if you are required to comply with the insurance company to go to an IME and the insurance company is threatening to stop paying for your medical treatment, the most important thing for you to do if you’ve been injured in an auto accident is to continue to get the treatment you need to help with your recovery.

You also want to let the medical providers you’ve been treating with know that you’ve been ordered to attend an IME.

If you haven’t been evaluated by a medical provider since the car accident occurred, don’t let any more time pass before you’re examined by a healthcare professional. If you’ve been injured in an accident, letting days or even weeks go by before you see a doctor and begin getting treatment will not only prolong your recovery time, it will also create problems for you in having your medical bills paid for.

If too much time elapses between when your car accident happened that caused your injuries and when you see a medical provider for the first time, this can trigger the PIP carrier to require that you attend an IME. The insurance company is going to assume that your injuries and the pain you’re experiencing are caused by something other than the car accident because you didn’t seek treatment right away after the accident.

Requiring you to attend an IME is part of the system and process insurance companies use to justify not paying for your medical treatment.

If you have zero pain or discomfort it doesn’t make sense to see a medical provider. There is no need to make a medical appointment if you’re feeling 100%. The problems arise when you are having pain and/or discomfort — even if initially it feels manageable and you don’t see your provider. What we often hear is “I didn’t see a provider because I thought it would go away”.

Know that the longer you wait to see a provider, the more problems it can cause in getting your medical treatments paid for and if you need to file a personal injury claim.

Nothing good comes from delaying being seen by a healthcare professional — and if you are injured, getting the medical treatment that you need. This is how you help yourself have the speediest recovery and also how you protect your PIP benefits should you need them.

Whether you’re our client or not, we want to be a bridge of support for you.

We’ve developed a robust library of articles and videos organized into four topics which include our responses to the personal injury claim-related questions we’re asked most often.

• Top 10 Personal Injury Claim Mistakes to Avoid
• What You Need to Know About Your Claim
• How Are My Medical Bills & Wage Loss Paid
• How to Prepare for Your Independent Medical Exam

The articles provide advice and guidelines to help you navigate each phase of the personal injury claims process. Whether we represent you or not, we are passionate about helping you protect your rights, you receiving the medical care you need to recover from your injuries, and having the information you need to avoid mistakes that can harm your personal injury claim.