If you are trying to find a doctor who will accept your auto insurance as payment for medical care after a car accident, you may find yourself searching and making many phone calls to no avail. For example, your family PCP will most likely accept health insurance or cash, but will not accept auto insurance. Make sure to ask your Doctor if they accept med pay, PIP or auto insurance as payment.
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Your PCP
Many primary care Doctors do not accept PIP, med pay or auto insurance because they are not setup for that particular type of billing. Auto accidents require what is commonly known as third party billing. You may get stuck with the bill if you get treatment from a Doctor who does not accept third party billing or automobile insurance. Regardless of fault, you must get treatment from a Doctor who accepts car accident insurance.
Not just any doctor will take car insurance as payment after an accident
If you live in a state that has PIP or personal injury protection, then you may have better luck finding a doctor who will accept your auto insurance. Many states do not have PIP, so for the millions of people who live in those states, your options are very limited.
For injured parties in NON-PIP states, finding a Doctor who will bill the at fault party’s insurance company can be challenging. Sometimes this can be very difficult and frustrating to say the least. Accident Doctor Helps injured people find a Physician who will bill the at fault party’s insurance company.
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Why won’t my Primary Care Physician accept my auto insurance?
Your primary care physician more than likely does not accept auto insurance, PIP or other third party billing options. Moreover, they almost surely will NOT treat on a medical lien. They, like most Doctors, want to get paid as services are rendered. Whereas, almost every personal injury doctor who treats car related injuries will generally accept auto insurance. It is important to find an accident physician who:
- accepts auto insurance
- works on a medical lien or attorney lien
- knows how to document your personal injury case
- specializes in auto accident treatment
- accepts PIP and Med Pay
- treats the injury, not the symptoms
- understands the mechanics of a car accident and how you were injured
Health Insurance
Health insurance is always tricky in some states. Using health insurance after an accident is a great idea, but many physicians when they find out it was due to an auto accident, won’t see you. With some insurance carriers, they will pay for medical care after an accident. However, the majority will not, or they will file a lien against your case if they do.
Third Party Billing
While third party billing sounds confusing, it’s actually quite straight forward. Third party billing and a Doctor who accepts auto insurance is basically the same thing. This type of billing is when a clinic or Doctor has the ability to bill the insurer directly or through an attorney or other third party. Third party billing includes PIP or personal injury protection, auto insurance, Med Pay or a Lien/LOP from an attorney.
PIP Insurance
PIP insurance, commonly known as No Fault insurance, provides direct payment to the Accident Physician, without the need of an attorney. No Fault is generally included in your auto insurance plan in states that require personal injury protection or no fault.
PIP is oftentimes the preferred method of payment for Physicians, as they are not forced to rely on an attorney. In addition, the No fault Accident Doctor is more likely to get full or a higher payment for services rendered. PIP generally covers all passengers in an automobile accident, including uninsured motorists and hit and run accidents.
Auto Insurance
Auto Insurance is the most used form of payment for car accident treatment. Moreover, auto insurance is required to own and operate a vehicle. While there are dozens of auto insurance providers, not all providers are the same.
Many people focus on the cost rather than the coverage provided when choosing an automobile insurance provider. Cheaper does not always mean better when it comes to car insurance. Make sure that you have adequate coverage in the event of a hit and run, uninsured motorist or serious accident.
Med Pay
Med Pay is an addition to your standard auto insurance plan. It is widely accepted by car accident doctors and helps when your standard plan falls short. Med Pay is not commonly mentioned by your Agent because there is very little monetary incentive for them. In other words, they don’t make much money so they simply don’t bring it up. However, Med Pay can be used for hit and run and uninsured motorist accidents, when your standard auto insurance may not. Ask your Agent for more information about Med Pay.
Liens & LOP’s
A Lien or LOP is commonly used whenever an attorney is involved. The accident attorney will draft a lien, which is then signed by the Doctor before treatment. The lien provides security for the Doctor, stating that they will get paid for services when a settlement is reached on the case. Liens are not the preferred method of treatment for auto accident for a few reasons.
One, the car wreck doctor must wait to get paid for services rendered. This waiting process can take months and even years, and may end with the attorney dropping or losing the case. Two, the Physician will often split any money received on the case with the patient and the attorney, regardless of the services provided. Many Doctors find that they receive much less than the cost of services provided.
Make sure you see the right doctor
Seeing the right doctor after you have been injured in an auto accident is very important to the integrity of any personal injury case. Finding a doctor is easy; just use the zip code search in the top right hand corner of this page.
Auto insurance companies don’t want you to see any doctor, much less one that accepts auto insurance. Your primary care doctor won’t accept auto insurance, but all the doctors listed here will. Contact us if we do not have one listed in your area.