Learning About Criminal Law Proceedings

Tips For Requesting Medical To Use In Your Injury Case

Your medical records are some of your best forms of evidence if you are pursuing a personal injury case. You need to make an official request for these records from your doctor or hospital if you need them. Keep these tips in mind when making the request:

Specify the Parts You Need

It may be possible that you don't need all parts of your medical records. If that's the case, then specify which parts you need to expedite the process. This may also reduce the associated fees (usually charged per page) since your records may even be hundreds of pages long.

Leave the Hospital First

If you need all your treatment records, leave the hospital before submitting your request. If you make the request before leaving the hospital, you may only get partial records since the latest ones may still be under update. For example, making the request while you are still in the hospital means that your request will leave out the discharge summary. That would be unfortunate because the discharge summary gives an overview of your recovery at the time of leaving the hospital.

Start Early

Issuing medical records is an important service of medical facilities, but their core business is to treat patients, and this is what is prioritized. Therefore, your records may not be issued as fast as advertised. Submit your request as early as possible to avoid such unfortunate surprises. For example, if you need your records in a fortnight; don't make the request a few days to the due day. Make the request as early as possible. Some facilities prioritize these requests in order of their urgency; therefore, it doesn't hurt to mention it if your request is urgent.

Understand the Process

It's advisable to understand the process so that you follow it exactly to the letter. Most medical providers outline the process on their websites, but you can also get the information by calling them. The information you need include the documents necessary for the process as well as the exact office or person who should receive them. That way you won't be waiting for your records only to be met with a request for further information.

The strength of your medical records will determine whether your claim can be settled, and for how much. However, your medical records won't work any magic for your claim; you still need to prove your claim. A personal injury lawyer can help you with the proof.


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