Insights from a Personal Injury Lawyer
With most personal injury cases, the lawyer and the doctor are working together to make sure the client succeeds.
It’s a lot like a football team working together. On one side of the ball, the team’s offense is trying to outscore the opposition. On the other side, the team’s defense is trying to make the offense’s job easier by preventing the opposition from scoring.
If both do their jobs well, then the team wins and the team moves on to the next game.
This philosophy should apply to every personal injury. In these situations, the personal injury lawyer is the offense because its the lawyer’s job to poke holes in the defendant’s case. And the doctor is the defense because it’s the doctor’s job to help prevent the insurance company and defendant from poking any holes in the plaintiff’s case.
If both do their jobs well, then the client/patient is much more likely to win.
Plus, both the doctor and lawyer will want to team up again by referring cases to one another so they can continue to replicate their success for future clients/patients.
But, as a Personal Injury Lawyer, I can honestly tell you that I do not send clients to any random doctor.
In fact, personal injury lawyers are very particular when determining which doctor to refer a case to because the wrong doctor (i.e. bad defense) can be detrimental for the client.
So, if you’re a doctor that wants more personal injury referrals from lawyers, then keep reading because these 10 tips will help!
Table of Contents
Tip #1 – Marketing for Personal Injury Cases
Tip #2 – Be Willing to Testify
Tip #3 – Accept Letters of Protection
Tip #4 – Accept Personal Injury Protection
Tip #5 – Writing a Story
Tip #6 – Communication
Tip #7 – Overall Treatment
Tip #8 – Reasonable Bills
Tip #9 – Reductions
Tip #10 – Network
Tip #1 – Marketing for Personal Injury Cases
Exposure is everything for a business. If you’re wanting more referrals, then lawyers need to be able to find you.
In fact, you may be the perfect doctor for my referral, however, that’s irrelevant if I can’t find you in my searches.
Here’s how doctors can get on a personal injury lawyer’s radar:
Rank on GOOGLE for keywords that lawyers are searching for.
The obvious solution to avoid obscurity is for the doctor to begin ranking for search terms that lawyers may be searching for on GOOGLE.
Fortunately, the tips in this post should help give you inspiration on which keywords to use on your website (e.g. “letter of protection,” “LOP,” “PIP,” “reduces,” etc.).
But, there’s a downside with this option — ranking on GOOGLE is difficult, time consuming, and can be costly. This is because the top-ranked pages on GOOGLE are keyword optimized and contain many backlinks from other sites. And to get these backlinks, you’re going to need to promote the page so that others can see it and link to it (easier said than done).
Join ReferOver.com and list your business
Whether you decide to take on GOOGLE rankings, you should also join ReferOver.com as well (I know, obvious plug). This recently-launched site is the first online platform designed for lawyers and doctors to refer personal injury cases to one another.
More importantly, ReferOver.com is a merit-based site. In other words, your rank in search results is dependent on one thing — reviews.
For example, a chiropractor that has a lot of positive reviews by lawyers will help show other lawyers that the chiropractor knows how to handle a PI referral. This type of information isn’t available on GOOGLE.
And the more positive reviews that you receive on ReferOver.com, the higher you rank. With your high rank, a lawyer with a referral is more likely to see you.
If you’re interested in increasing your exposure so personal injury lawyers can find you, then be sure to sign up — it’s free!
To sign up, scroll to the top of this page and click the button that looks like this:
With this additional exposure and your reviews, lawyers will be able to see if you follow the remaining tips in this post. These tips are critical to building a case and relationship with the referring lawyer so keep reading.
Tip #2 – Be Willing to Testify
Here’s a fact you may already know — lawyers are paranoid individuals.
Very paranoid.
The paranoia is amplified when personal injury lawyers refer a case to a doctor they don’t know much about.
This fear stems from the fact that there’s always some risk that a personal injury case will result in a lawsuit being filed. Typically, when a lawsuit is filed, there’s a dispute on liability and/or a proper settlement amount.
In either situation, the doctor may need to testify, which means that the doctor has the opportunity to help or hurt the case. Therefore, there are a couple of boxes that every doctor must check off before I refer a case to them.
First things first, the doctor needs to be willing to testify. If the doctor is completely opposed to even the idea of testifying, then I’m probably not going to refer a case to that doctor. Even if there’s only a small chance that a lawsuit may be filed, I don’t want to deal with the headache. I’d rather refer the case to someone who is going to be a team player.
If a doctor is against testifying, then I can’t help but assume that the doctor isn’t comfortable answering questions about his/her services and bills. That assumption typically leads me to looking elsewhere for a referral.
Second, a doctor needs to have the skills to be a great witness. I can typically tell during a quick conversation whether a doctor will make for a great witness.
More specifically, if the doctor comes off as personable, knowledgeable, and speaks in a simple and plain way (without using a bunch of medical jargon), then the doctor will be solid on the stand. As the lawyer on the case, I know that I can build upon this foundation by prepping the doctor about everything else involved with testifying.
If a doctor checks off both of these boxes, then I know that the doctor will help the case if asked to testify.
In short, ease the lawyer’s paranoia (because it never goes away) by catering your marketing for more PI referrals. To do this, make your content clear that you’re a team player who is willing to testify if the case needs it. And also make sure be sure to leave a good impression by having content that shows you are personable, knowledgeable, and that you speak in a simple and plain way.
By implementing these simple things in your marketing, you’re much more likely to convert referrals at a higher rate because you’ll stand out from the crowd.
Tip #3 – Accept Letters of Protection
Unfortunately, it’s fairly common for a client to not have any health insurance or way to pay for treatment until after a settlement is reached.
In those situations, a letter of protection is usually going to be needed.
If you’re unfamiliar with what a letter of protection (LOP) is, the quick summary is that it’s a contract between the lawyer and the doctor that ensures that the doctor will be paid from any money awarded in the case (if there is any).
The benefit of the LOP is that it allows for the client to get the care needed and it provides some protection for the doctor so that the doctor can eventually get paid.
Therefore, by accepting LOP, you’re increasing the scope of your referrals to include people that have no way of paying upfront for treatment. This scope allows for you to cast a wider net that increases the likelihood that a lawyer reaches out with a personal injury referral.
As a final note, letters of protection clearly have some element of risk with them. If the case is a dud, then you may not get paid. To limit this risk, it’s always best to discuss expectations with the lawyer to get a sense of the likelihood of success and then determine whether you want to take the case.
Tip #4 – Accept Personal Injury Protection
If your state has personal injury protection (PIP) and allows for double dipping (like in Texas), then doctors that accept PIP are much more likely to get referrals.
For doctors, PIP is great because it is no-fault insurance (check your state laws to confirm) so the doctor doesn’t have to wait around for liability to be resolved before getting paid. Instead, the doctor can get paid by the client’s insurance under PIP while the patient is treating.
This process can be handled by the doctor’s office directly, which helps lighten the load for the lawyer (PI lawyers are paid on usually paid on contingency so they don’t like getting bogged down with paperwork).
For lawyers, PIP makes resolving the case much easier (assuming that double dipping is allowed in your state). Without boring you with the legal details, PIP allows for medical bills to be paid twice — once by the client’s insurance and once by the at-fault insurance. Since one of those payments is covering the bills, the other payment goes towards the client’s recovery.
As a result, PIP increases the likelihood of a settlement, which benefits everyone involved.
Therefore, if you take personal injury cases, then there isn’t much of a reason to not accept personal injury protection.
Tip #5 – Writing a Story
Let’s start this tip with some background information — insurance companies rely on computers to analyze the value of a liability case. Assuming that liability has been established, the computer gives the insurance adjuster a settlement range.
As the lawyer on the case, it’s my job to figure out what the top of that range is and to see whether the top of the range is going to be sufficient for the client.
Here’s what every doctor should understand — the medical records are a major factor in whether I can get the adjuster to make an offer at the top of the range or not.
Typically, my job is to tell the adjuster my client’s story and how the defendant’s actions affected my client. The issue is that my presentation of the facts is extremely dependent on the medical records. In other words, the medical records will either bolster or undercut my arguments.
Here’s how you can make my job easier and help the case as a whole:
Painting a Picture
Every doctor should write a detailed summary that goes beyond only explaining that the client is in pain. More specifically, the summary should explain how this pain is affecting the client’s life — not just state that the client is in pain.
Take a look at this daily summary made by a chiropractor:
The above is (1) a super bland read; (2) isn’t very compelling; (3) and isn’t going to motivate an adjuster to move a considerable amount during negotiations.
And that’s just one visit. Imagine having to read 30+ pages of this.
Boring, right?
Instead, the chiropractor should have taken things deeper by painting the full picture…
How did the client handle the fact that the symptoms returned?
What exactly caused the set back?
How is the return of the symptoms going to affect her in the future?
For example, maybe for the last few weeks, the client has been unable to carry her child to bed. And then the night before this last appointment, the client was feeling better (not back to normal, but better) and thought she could do it. Unfortunately, in doing so, she aggravated her back and is extra sore. But, she’s plans on continuing to stick to the treatment plan so she can eventually try again and hopefully not experience any pain.
The above example is short and sweet. More importantly, it’s powerful because it provides more context to the client’s story. Accordingly, when I tell the adjuster that my client’s injuries have affected her ability to be a mother, the adjuster can validate this claim by looking at the medical records.
This takes me to my next point…
The Story Should Be Inspirational
Here’s a trial tip that good lawyers use, which should also be used by doctors — don’t paint the client as a complainer.
It’s extremely common for the medical records to only focus on the client’s pain and suffering. There’s a major problem with this.
By only focusing on the negative, the client comes off as a complainer or whiner.
And nobody likes a complainer or whiner.
Instead, the medical records should show that the client is experiencing pain and setbacks, however, the client is motivated to overcome them and is doing everything possible to do that.
By using the medical records to paint the client as the comeback hero of the story, the client immediately gains more credibility and is much more likeable.
So, let lawyers know that you are willing to go above and beyond what other doctors do by spending extra time to paint a clearer picture in the medical records. As a result, the lawyer may feel almost obligated to refer the case to you because you’ll make the case stronger than other doctors.
With the stronger case, the lawyer is much more likely to resolve the case quicker and without the need for a lawsuit. All because of you.
Teamwork makes the dream work (too corny?).
Tip #6 – Communication
Both doctors and lawyers are busy individuals. But with a personal injury case, both sides need to make sure that there is continuous conversation going on.
During treatment, the duty of communication is primarily on the doctor because the doctor is the one that sees the client regularly. And more importantly, the doctor is the one that can see if there are any red flags that pop up.
For instance, we once had a client that was treating with a chiropractor and, before she was released from care, she decided to go bungee jumping.
Spoiler alert — she hurt herself and hurt her case even more.
In that situation, the chiropractor called us ASAP and told us what happened. We were able to pivot our strategy and still get the client compensation (it wasn’t easy).
Overall, doctors that are willing to take the time to communicate to lawyers are very valuable. If the client is missing treatment, has setbacks, or goes bungee jumping, then the lawyers are going to want to know so they can start doing damage control.
If you’re great at communication, then most likely referring lawyers will be repeat customers, give you great reviews on ReferOver.com, and help spread the word to other lawyers.
Tip #7 – Overall Treatment
This one is pretty obvious, however, it can’t be understated.
If you provide great services and care to clients, then there’s a great chance I send you a referral. The last thing I want is a phone call from the client saying that they don’t like their doctor and that they want to go somewhere else.
Plus, if you provide great services and care, then the client may end up continuing treatment after being released and/or sending friends and family over.
Tip #8 – Reasonable Bills
Overinflated bills make an easy case complicated and make a complicated case almost impossible.
The biggest issue with bills that are too high or with treatment that lasted too long is that the credibility of the case becomes the center of attention.
If the bills seem exaggerated, then the adjuster, defense, and potential jury can very easily assume that maybe the medical records are also exaggerated. And if the medical records seem exaggerated, then maybe the actual injuries are exaggerated.
In other words, overinflated bills put the lawyer on defense. And if the lawyer is spending more time on defense than offense, then the case is in jeopardy.
As a lawyer, I have an obligation to strengthen my client’s case. This means that it’s my job to try and seek out doctors with reasonable bills and to avoid doctors that put my client’s case in jeopardy.
So, if you want to catch a personal injury lawyer’s attention, make it clear that your bills are reasonable and competitive.
Tip #9 – Reductions
I know, I know. This is a touchy subject.
Nobody likes reducing their bills.
Unfortunately, there a several factors that can lead to bills (and attorney’s fees) needing to be reduced across the board.
First, as discussed above, a doctor’s bills may be overinflated. As a result, there may not be enough settlement to pay for the overinflated bills.
Second, even if your bill is reasonable, the case may have some weaknesses that are making the case worth less (or worthless). Therefore, the option is to take less money with a settlement or risk getting nothing in trial. Typically, the client chooses the former.
Third, the client wants more money in their pocket. Unfortunately, there are times when the best settlement offer leaves the client with very little money after all of the bills and fees are paid. More often than not, it’s usually best for both the lawyer and the doctor to shave their portions so that the client feels better about the experience.
All of these are potential risks from the very beginning of a case. Because of this, I always try to find a doctor that accepts reductions (just to be safe).
Again, this means that you can appeal to a lawyer’s paranoia by heading off any complications that may arise. To do this, be sure to let lawyers know that you’re willing to accept reductions when needed.
Tip #10 – Network
At the end of the day, it’s all about networking. And the best way to network is to build relationships.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to lawyers and set up a time to get together.
In fact, the first chiropractor that reached out to me found me on Instagram. He took the time to look me up, find my office phone number, and gave me a call. We ended up meeting at Starbucks and hit it off.
Afterwards, he had me go back to his office for a free adjustment. After seeing him in action, I was a fan. From that point on, we’ve been referring cases to one another whenever possible.
In fact, fast forward to today and he’s going to be a groomsman in my wedding.
Obviously meeting up with lawyers to get more referrals isn’t very scalable. But, if you’re starting out, then setting up meetings with lawyers is a great way to start building a foundation for your referral network.
And once you get these relationships, be sure to have the lawyers spread the word about you!
For example, have them leave reviews on ReferOver.com so that other lawyers can see that you’re the person they need to refer their next case to.
Conclusion
By implementing the above tips, you’ll be able to grow your online presence and get more referrals. It’s all a matter of growing your exposure and catering your content for personal injury lawyers.
And as a lawyer, I can tell you that if you check off the above boxes, then you’ll definitely be on my radar for getting my next referral.
If you have any thoughts, questions, or comments, then be sure to leave those below!
