Why Won’t My Primary Physician See Me After an Accident?

After you’ve been in a car accident, you may wish to see your regular primary care physician that you know and trust. After all, they know you and your medical history and they’ve been taking care of your health needs for a while. However, you may find that your doctor doesn’t want to see you. Why?

1. General Practitioners Use Major Medical Insurance

First, your physician mainly deals with major medical insurance while we at Complete Care mainly deal with PIP Insurance. What’s the difference? Major medical is coverage from a medical insurance provider and covers things like:

• Checkups and other preventative care
• Emergency services
• Pregnancy and maternity care
• Mental health care
• Labwork

This is the type of insurance that primary care providers know well.

PIP Insurance, on the other hand, is Personal Injury Protection and is an extension of your car insurance that covers medical expenses and possibly lost wages for people who have been in an auto accident. It is a “no fault” insurance coverage because it pays claims no matter who was at fault. In the state of Florida, PIP coverage is a requirement for all registered motor vehicle owners. PIP pays for 80% of your medical bills and 60% of lost wages up to $10,000.

There are different requirements and protocols inherent in each of these types of coverage, and many primary care physicians simply don’t want to deal with PIP insurance claims and will recommend you go elsewhere.

2. They Don’t Specialize in Auto Accident Injuries

The second reason that your primary care physician may refer you to someone else is that they are not always equipped for these types of injuries. They may be excellent doctors, but when it comes to issues that are out of their scope of expertise, they’ll refer you elsewhere. If you saw them because you were having foot pain, they would look at your foot and if it wasn’t an obvious injury, they would refer you to a podiatrist who is a doctor who focuses on the treatment of medical problems of feet and ankles. The same is true for us. We focus solely on the diagnosis and treatment of soft tissue injuries that occur in automobile accidents. Your doctor knows it’s better to send a patient to clinical professionals who specialize in auto injuries.

3. Your Injuries Require More Specialized Treatments

When you see a specialist in car accident injuries, you’ll have access to more specialized treatments. This is because motor vehicle accident injury specialists understand how the body is affected during a car accident on a holistic level and will incorporate treatments that address and heal the body as a whole. These are treatments that a general practitioner will not typically have the adequate training to provide and will often refer out for.

Commonly used treatments for auto injuries are: 

• Spinal and extremity manipulation therapies. These therapies remedy misalignment in the spine and extremities that was caused by the impact of the accident. It is vital for individuals who have been in a car accident to have spinal and extremity manipulation performed soon after the accident in order to prevent more serious issues from developing.
• Electrical stimulation and injection therapies. Each of these treatments aids patients in regaining range of motion and reduces inflammation and pain. An additional benefit of these therapies that an injury specialist can provide is that, unlike the prescription painkillers that a general practitioner will often administer and prescribe, they have no risk of addiction, helping you heal more safely.

4. Car Accidents Require Extensive Insurance and Legal Paperwork

Auto accident injuries require a different level of documentation and paperwork, whether for your personal injury attorneys or insurance company. Car accident injury specialists have experience filling out medical records with such a level of detail that there is no room for debate with the insurance company about what ailments were caused by an accident, what treatments and medications were necessary due to the accident, and how much money you are therefore entitled to receive. General practitioners, on the other hand, often lack this level of experience, which also means that you are more likely to miss out on what you can legally be compensated.

At an auto injury clinic like Complete Care, we take care of all your insurance and legal paperwork. We understand that when you are recovering from a car accident, the last thing you want to do is spend time filling out insurance paperwork and attorney requests. That’s why we go above and beyond by offering to have our offices take care of these hassles for you so that you can focus on healing from your accident and building a positive future. It’s just one more way that we show we truly care!

Recover After a Car Accident With Specialists at Complete Care

If you’ve been injured in an automobile accident, you don’t have to see your primary care physician first. We can handle your initial examination, diagnose any injuries, and come up with a comprehensive treatment plan for your recovery. Call Complete Care to schedule your appointment today.