As a PIP attorney, one of the worst phone calls we have to make to our medical providers is to inform them that the patient has no coverage. Often, the medical provider will have billed over $10,000 in medical treatment for a patient. Still, regardless of the amount of treatment provided to a patient, there is no recourse if the patient lacks coverage.
PIP COVERAGE AND FLORIDA LAW
Under Florida Statute S. 627.736(1), a compliant insurance policy “must provide personal injury protection to the named insured, relatives residing in the same household unless excluded under S. 627.747, persons operating the insured motor vehicle, passengers in the motor vehicle, and other persons struck by the motor vehicle and suffering bodily injury while not an occupant of a self-propelled vehicle, subject to subsection (2) and paragraph (4)(e).” For medical providers, it is crucial to understand and review this pertinent portion of the statute when determining if a patient has insurance coverage.
IS THE PATIENT’S PIP COVERAGE IN EFFECT?
When verifying coverage with the patient, the patient’s personal injury attorney, or the insurance company, the medical provider must also determine whether the policy is effective. Just because a patient provides you with PIP insurance information does not necessarily mean the policy was in effect at the time of the accident. As PIP lawyers, we have dealt with situations where the policy lapsed years ago, or the patient purchased it after the accident. If the policy was not in effect on the date of the accident, there is no coverage available for the treatment that resulted from the accident.
It is of the utmost importance that the medical provider verifies whether a patient qualifies for PIP coverage and whether the policy was in effect at the time of loss. If there is no PIP insurance available, the medical provider needs to be in a position to get paid by other means, whether it be regular health insurance benefits, cash, or a letter of protection with a personal injury attorney.
ARE YOU A MEDICAL PROVIDER WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT PIP COVERAGE? LYLE B. MASNIKOFF & ASSOCIATES, P.A. WILL GO THE EXTRA MILE FOR YOU
As always, if you have any questions about whether your patient qualifies for PIP coverage, please feel free to contact us at 877-817-4127 or complete our online form. We handle PIP suits throughout the entire State of Florida, and we never charge our clients a percentage of their bills.
Copyright© 2021. Lyle B. Masnikoff & Associates, P.A. All rights reserved.
The information in this blog post (“post”) is provided for general informational purposes only and may not reflect the current law in your jurisdiction. No statement in this post should be construed as legal advice from the individual author or the law firm, nor is it intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter. No reader of this post should act or refrain from acting based on any information included in or accessible through this post without seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a lawyer licensed in the recipient’s state, country or other relevant licensing jurisdiction.
Lyle Masnikoff & Associates, P.A.
1645 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd #550
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
561-598-7120
https://workerscompfl.net/
