An individual who has been injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence may want to seek treatment for pain with an alternative health care practitioner. However, the insurer responsible for paying medical bills may refuse to pay for anything but conventional treatment. A Personal Injury Attorney in Rockford may need to step in to persuade that insurance company as to why the alternative care is important.
Physician Support
A Personal Injury Attorney in Rockford will advise the client to obtain documentation from the physician in the case supporting alternative therapy. This might be a letter recommending or approving the patient’s decision to combine conventional treatment with complementary health care. If the person is suffering from debilitating back pain, for example, chiropractic care may be completely appropriate. Massage and acupuncture may be beneficial as well.
Integrated Treatment
Treatment at an integrated healthcare center or a pain management clinic may be more acceptable to an insurance company since those facilities typically include medical or osteopathic doctors in addition to the alternative practitioners.
Relevant Research
If the insurer still denies this part of the claim, the lawyer may send relevant research verifying that these therapies are highly effective for pain relief. Chiropractic and massage therapy can help the patient significantly reduce the need for pain medication and not lose as much time from work.
Since some alternative therapies have more support in rigorous research, attorneys with a firm such as American Law Firm, P.C. will have an easier time convincing an insurer to pay for that type of care. For instance, homeopathy has little research verifying that it has any positive effect other than a placebo effect.
In contrast, many reputable studies have been done on chiropractic care, massage and acupuncture for pain relief. Massage has been shown as effective for relieving back pain and improving quality of life. Evidence shows that chiropractic treatment is particularly helpful for reducing lower back pain, although it also helps many patients with upper back and neck pain. Acupuncture is useful for reducing back pain, knee discomfort due to osteoarthritis, and headaches.
