Who Pays for Chiropractic Treatment After a Slip and Fall?

For many people, chiropractic care is an essential part of the recovery process after any impact of injury or event. Chiropractors consider the way in which car crashes and slip and fall accidents affect both the alignment of the spine and the well-being of the entire musculoskeletal system. As such, they’re often able to identify damages that get overlooked in emergency room visits, and even in examinations performed by patients’ primary physicians.

If you’re suffering from neck, back or shoulder pain, or if you’re dealing with joint dysfunction, working with a chiropractor can help you get the relief and healing support you need. However, you may be wondering exactly who’s responsible for paying your chiropractor bill.

Injuries Caused by Negligence

When you slip and fall on someone’s property, it’s likely because the property was ill-maintained or the right warning signs weren’t in place. For instance, when store owners open their doors with freshly mopped floors, there’s an expectation that signage will be put up to notify people of the slip-hazard. When juice or oil are spilled in the supermarket, the company owner should both label the affected area and take fast action to remove the spill. Failing to do so can lead to serious physical harm.

While slip and fall accidents might not seem like a big deal, the injuries that they’re capable of creating are. In the right conditions, these events can lead to broken bones, concussions, spinal subluxations, and more. That’s why businesses have insurance in place.

Even with diligent measures to maintain safe and hazard-free environments, accidents can still happen. Provable oversight or negligence in their efforts to prevent injuries can make them liable for covering all of an injured party’s resulting medical expenses. In addition to the emergency room and ongoing hospital visits, covered services can include secondary medical care such as chiropractic treatment.

Payments for Chiropractic Treatments

As a victim of a slip and fall event, you have access to a number of options for paying your chiropractor. If you have yet to submit a claim or have not obtained legal representation, your chiropractor may request that payment be rendered at the time of treatment with either cash or by credit or debit card. You may have access to chiropractic care through your health insurance policy.

However, before your health insurer remits payment, they’ll want to know if another party is responsible for your accident. Health insurance companies will not cover bills that are legally the obligation of someone else. As such, they always submit inquiries when billed for injuries caused by accidents.

After hiring an attorney and submitting a claim, you may be able to receive chiropractic care without making any upfront payments at all. In this case, your chiropractor will work with your attorney by assisting in documenting your injuries. Once your settlement is received, all medical and legal expenses will be deducted from it before the remainder is transferred to you. These arrangements can be especially helpful for injured parties who cannot afford to pay for multiple chiropractic visits out of pocket.

After You Slip and Fall

Slipping and falling in a public place can be embarrassing and thus, many people are quick to get up and move along. The combination of self-consciousness and adrenaline that often overwhelm injured people can lead to rash and unwise decisions. Despite the social discomfort they often cause, these accidents should be documented and reported right away.

Even if you’re able to stand immediately after your fall, you could have musculoskeletal, soft tissue, or other injuries that may come back to haunt you later on. To protect your health and to provide a clear record of the event, you should:

• Use your mobile phone to snap a photo of the conditions that caused your fall
• Stay where you are until you’re certain that you can get up safely
• Request emergency medical assistance if you believe that moving might harm you further
• Report the accident
• Decline to make a statement
• Align yourself with a reputable personal injury attorney

Properly documenting this event is the first step in successfully pursuing a claim. Prompt medical attention will ensure that the injuries you’ve sustained can be clearly shown as being the result of your accident. If you delay in receiving medical treatment, insurance companies can assume that you’ve been injured at a later date and in another environment. The sooner you take action; the easier it will be to ensure that your medical bills are covered by the right party.

Slip and fall accidents are never fun. If you’re injured in a slip and fall accident, the negligent party responsible for your fall should pay for your chiropractic care. By failing to maintain safe conditions, this party has put your health and well-being at risk. However, if you do not take the proper steps to document and report the event, you could wind up paying these and all other medical expenses by yourself.