Motor Vehicle Accident Policy

MOTOR VEHICLE INJURY CASES

If you are hurt in a motor vehicle collision and it is deemed the other driver’s fault, the other driver’s auto insurance company is responsible; however, will not pay out on a claim until the case is settled. If you choose not to file a PIP claim and want to wait on the third party settlement; it is required you be a self-pay patient, pay at the time of service, and submit the bill yourself to the third party so you can be reimbursed when your claim settles. If you decide to open a PIP claim with your own motor vehicle company, then our billing company will submit claims on your behalf, but only after a signed lien is on file.

All auto liability policies in Oregon are required to provide “no-fault” Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage for prompt payment of reasonable and necessary medical expenses resulting from an auto collision.There is no penalty to you for making a PIP claim under your own policy. However, your insurance company is entitled to be reimbursed by the responsible person’s insurance company. First general rule: “PIP follows the car.” If the car is insured, PIP covers all occupants no matter who was at fault. By law, PIP must cover at least $15,000 worth of medical expenses occurring within 365 days of the collision as long as it is deemed reasonable and necessary. Any amounts over your PIP should be covered by your healthcare insurance. If you do not have healthcare insurance or your healthcare insurance policy does not cover the services provided in our clinic, you will be personally liable for any amounts in excess of your PIP coverage.

Even though you file a PIP claim, there may come a time during the course of your treatment where your PIP stops making payments on your medical expenses. For this reason, we have all motor vehicle crash patients sign an assignment and lien with our clinic. If your PIP exhausts, denies, and/or expires and we are unable to secure payment from your healthcare insurance, the lien gives our clinic added protection so that we can be assured reimbursement for services rendered from any settlement awarded to you resulting from the injury case. Your insurance company will not advise us on how much money is available in your PIP or warn us when it is about to exhaust. Only you are authorized to obtain that information. If you feel your injuries have not resolved and require further treatment beyond your PIP policy limits, you may want to seek legal counsel so that you can continue care towards resolution, while the attorney works with your insurance for a fair settlement.

Periodically throughout your treatment plan, our office will be contacted to provide your medical records to various parties. These parties could include, and not to be limited to, your health insurance and/or motor vehicle insurance companies, the other party’s motor vehicle insurance companies, attorneys, etc. To protect your privacy, HIPPA regulations require that our office will not release your information without a signature from you. Our office will never release any patient information without a current, signed Authorization to Release Records form.

Our practice is committed to providing the best treatment to our patients. Thank you for understanding our motor vehicle accident policy. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.