Baltimore Light Rail Injury – Car Insurance Paid For Patient’s Treatment

Baltimore Light Rail Injury – Car Insurance Paid For Patient’s Treatment

As many of my avid blog post readers are aware, I am a Chiropractor in Baltimore that spends the majority of my time treating Baltimore auto accident clients. These clients typically present with some combination of acute post-traumatic headaches, neck pain, radiating arm pain, mid back pain, lower back pain, and/or radiating leg pain associated with their Baltimore auto accident injuries.

As I have discussed in several past blog post, in addition to auto accidents there are several other types of personal injuries that I treat, albeit on a much less frequent basis. These are slip and fall injuries, worker’s compensation injuries, truck injuries, motorcycle injuries, pedestrian injuries (hit by a car in a cross walk), bus occupant injuries, and light rail injuries. In each of these different types of Baltimore personal injuries there are different types of injuries as we can also see shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, hip, knee, and ankle/feet injuries as well. That is, typically, the personal injuries that are not “straight forward” auto accidents usually present with more complex injury patterns depending on how a patient was positioned prior to their injury taking place.

I had a patient come into the office this week after being referred to me by a local pain management physician. The patient was involved in a Light Rail vs. motor vehicle collision injury just under a year ago, in about Mid March of 2015. According to the patient, a large SUV T-boned the light rail car she was riding in, causing the patient to develop headaches, neck pain, mid back pain, and lower back pain. The patient was evaluated at a local ER that evening was told to follow up in a week if her condition did not improve. About a week later she presented to a different ER with worsening symptoms. She was told to use ice and that “it would get better on its own.” She resumed working with her spinal pain and found herself less and less productive since sitting and standing were painful and her neck bothered her while working on the computer.

Her employer sent her to Concentra Urgent care for some PT/massage about four or five times over the next several months but nothing helped her headaches, neck, and back pain. She admits that she wanted to seek some professional Chiropractic therapy to see if it could help her, but she did not have private health insurance and she was afraid that she could not afford the treatment.

After being referred to me by a local physician, I had my staff ask her the usual questions. While it is true that since she was a passenger on the light rail she was not entitled to PIP benefits under the insurance of this municipality, my staff asked her if she had an automobile insured and registered in Maryland during the time of her injury. As it turns out, she did. She had a GEICO insurance policy that was “active” at the time of the crash. This is where the cool part of the story comes in.

My staff informed the patient that if she called GEICO and opened a PIP claim under her auto policy it would cover her Light rail injuries, because PIP is like a small umbrella that you carry with you to pay for medical expenses regardless of which type of personal injury you may sustain.

The important part of this story is the timeline. Her injury was sustained in Mid March 2015, and it was now early March, or about two weeks shy of the one year mark of the injury. According to Maryland law you only have ONE YEAR to file a PIP claim if you intend to receive benefits, although you can utilize those benefits for up to three years. We had the patient contact GEICO just two weeks before her ability to file would have expired and she was granted access to up to $2,500 in money for her chiropractic care and lost wages for that injury. Suffice it to say she was ELATED that she had access to funds for treatment.

The patient began treatment and is beginning to show improvements in terms of pain frequency and she is working with less discomfort.

In addition to providing effective and affordable care, we pride ourselves with understanding complex issues surrounding personal injuries such as Baltimore auto accidents and Baltimore light rail injuries. My staff can help ask prospective patients a series of questions to determine if there may be extra funds available to them to help limit, or in some cases, completely eliminate a need to pay out of pocket for their injuries. If you, or someone you know, has suffered a personal injury in Baltimore and require treatment, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to help!

Dr. Gulitz

What Do You Do During Your Lunch Breaks?

As many of my avid blog followers are aware, I am a Baltimore Chiropractor that spends the vast majority of my practice time (and life!) studying, treating, and writing reports about Baltimore auto accident injuries. The clinic hours that we have posted are strictly “clinic hours.” That means that patients with scheduled appointments, and walk-in patients that do not mind waiting, can be seen and treated for their headaches, neck pain, back pain, and sciatica. In each given week my clinic is now open 40 hours. In order to help accommodate patients that want to be treated before work, during their lunch break, or after they get home from work in the evening the hours of the clinic are such that we are open four hours in the mornings, and another four hours in the evenings. That allows for a “lunch break” of about two hours each day.

I often get asked what I do during the lunch break. I am more than happy to share with those interested what happens during that period.

First I have to say, it is not really a lunch break. Technically it is in the middle of the day between 1:00 pm 3:00 pm and yes I usually eat lunch during that period, but I do not think of it as a lunch break. In fact, I like to think that I get more work accomplished during my “clinic intersession” than I do when patients are in the office.

The first thing that I try and do is return any phone calls that I got during the session that preceded the break. Often times I am returning phone calls for patients, attorneys, doctors, imaging centers, etc. These calls can last a matter of seconds or in some instances 10-20 minutes. Any private conversations that need to take place usually take place during this period. Many times patients are surprised that I call them back, but one of the hallmarks of this practice is that I pride myself on returning phone calls.

The second thing that I try and accomplish is coordination of care with other professionals. Maybe I am referring a patient for an MRI. I have to assemble the paperwork and documentation necessary to get that patient set up for imaging. Or, maybe I have referred a client to a specialist, I will usually try and speak to the specialist about the patient prior to their appointment so that we are “on the same page” regarding treatment progress.

The third thing that I do, and this seems to take up the most time, is PAPERWORK. Paperwork is a four letter word in this office, but it is a necessary evil in this day and age. Paperwork can take many forms – it can be FMLA paperwork for patients that are missing work due to injuries, disability slips for newly injured patients, and daily reports for patients. My office routinely generates about 3-4 hours worth of paperwork a day and this “clinic intersession” break affords us time in the middle of the day to knock some of it out.

The fourth thing that I do is try and keep up with referral sources of the clinic. If an attorney or medical provider is kind enough to refer my office patients, I usually follow up new referrals with a phone call to say thank you. While it is true that this office is busy and highly rated on social media sites such as facebook, google plus, and yelp, I also require active referrals from other professionals to continue to grow my business and to help other patients in need. You might be surprised how far a “thank you” can go to continuing to support an existing referral relationship or to create a new one. Even if the “thank you” does not result in more referrals, it is still the right thing to do and I think it goes a lot further than a simple text message.

The fifth and final thing that I do during this break is to be available for any new “emergency cases.” Sometimes I get calls from people in town for the week and they need to come in right away to help with neck or back pain while they are supporting a loved one at Johns Hopkins Hospital, or before they fly back to California. When time permits I open the clinic outside of normal hours to offer these people treatment.

This clinic has been very fortunate to have been accepted by the community and to have grown to two providers and now over 2,100 square feet for treatment and back office support. Utilizing our “lunch period” to get more work done in the typical business day is what has helped set us apart and is what will help the clinic continue to grow.

So while I would like to kick my feet up and take a nap for a few hours between clinic sessions, that is not what happens. We are busy keeping the business moving in the right direction so that we can continue to help those in need.

If you, or someone you know, has been injured in a Baltimore auto accident and require treatment, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to help!

Dr. Gulitz

Baltimore Slip and Fall Injuries

As a Baltimore chiropractor that spends the majority of my time treating patients with headaches, neck pain and back pain resulting from Baltimore auto accidents, I decided that I wanted to spend some time discussing other various types of personal injuries that I treat on a daily basis. One type that I see with increasing frequency is “slip and fall” type injuries. In the legal sense these are known as premises liability cases. Simply put, a business or homeowner has a duty to keep someone who visits the property safe from harm. Failure to do so can cause injury to a guest which then homeowner or business owner is ultimately liable.

The degree of responsibility that a business or homeowner has to a guest depends on the type of guest that that person is. They can be either

a) invitees: These are people who visit a property with the intention of doing business. An example is people going to a mall to shop.

b) licensees: These are people who are invited to a property, but are not necessarily there with the intention to do business. An example is having a friend come to your home for dinner.

c) trespassers: These are people who are not invited onto a property and are often unwanted. While a property and business owner can not go out of their way to harm trespassers, they owe them the least amount of responsibility because they were not invited onto the property.

As the name implies, slip and fall injuries occur when a person slips, trips or falls on another’s property. The tricky thing from a legal perspective is to determine if the property of homeowner knew, or had reason to know, that they owned and operated an unsafe environment. If it can be proven that they knew or had reason to know that something was unsafe (i.e. evidence of a faulty ice machine, uneven side walks not built to code, etc.) then that property owner is “on the hook” for the personal injuries sustained by the person injured.

Often times when I treat Baltimore residents who have been injured from slip and fall injuries I see injuries that are very similar to Baltimore auto accident injuries. We routinely see patients with concussions, post traumatic headaches, neck pain, radiating arm pain, mid back pain, lower back pain and radiating leg pain. We often see other injuries such as shoulder and wrist injuries as a falling person reflexively attempts to brace themselves during a fall.

In addition to a property owner being responsible for medical bills incurred as a result of a Baltimore slip and fall injury, the owner is also legally responsible for

a) past and future medical bills

b) Lost wages and diminished earning capacity

c) Chiropractic care, physical therapy, and occupational training.

d) Pain, suffering, and diminished quality of life

It is important in these types of personal injury cases not to get “blinded” by the injuries. While it is true that an injured claimant (my patient) may have very serious objective injuries, it is not always so clear whether or not the business or homeowner is legally responsible. That is why most personal injury attorneys despite serious injuries, will not choose to represent injured patients that have been involved in premises liability cases.

The good news for people that have been injured as a result of Baltimore slip and fall cases, is that there are typically ways to get your medical and chiropractic bills paid regardless of whether or not you have a personal injury attorney representing you.

The source of funds that would cover your injuries is known as Medical Payments, and it is included in a homeowners or business owners liability insurance. Just like PIP on an automobile policy, Medical Payments (or MedPay for short) is to be used for medical care related to injuries that occur on property REGARDLESS OF FAULT. Typically MedPay is written in the amounts of $5,000 or $10,000, which is usually more than enough money to pay for care in my office.

If you have been injured as a result of a Baltimore slip and fall injury and would like to receive treatment, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to help!

Dr. Gulitz

Can PIP Pay For Treatment Following A Baltimore Bus Accident?

As a Baltimore Chiropractor that spends the majority of my time treating patients involved in Baltimore City car accidents, I see my fair share of post traumatic headaches, neck pain, and back pain. As stated in previous blog posts, car accidents are not the only Baltimore injuries that can produce these symptoms. I also see motorcycle accident injuries, slip and fall injuries, bicycle injuries, and pedestrian injuries (in cases where pedestrians are struck by motor vehicles).

Recently my office has been seeing more and more MTA bus accident injuries. In these instances either a bus strikes another motor vehicle (I don’t see many of these) or a bus is struck by a large vehicle causing injury to its occupants, or a bus loses control due to snow or ice and injures its occupants.

Bus injuries offer some potential problems to the injured parties (my patients). Firstly, buses are not equipped with seat belts to restrain occupants. So if there is an impact, it is not unusual for the injuries seen to be worse than those sustained in Baltimore auto accident injuries. Bus occupants can fall off of their seats, fall on top of other occupants, can hit their heads on windows, etc. I recently treated a woman who had teeth knocked out when she fell down the bus’ steps during an impact. I had to refer her to a dentist friend of mine who is taking care of that component of her injury.

Another challenging feature of treating Baltimore bus accident patients is that there is rarely money available for their care. While that is not a problem for me and the team at Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic (as we are willing to wait for a case to settle before being paid for our treatment), it usually deters, and in some cases, prevents injured bus occupants from seeking treatment in the first place.

If you recall, Maryland licensed drivers and occupants of their vehicles usually have access to a benefit called PIP. This takes care of paying bills for ambulance rides, xrays, chiropractic care and rehabilitation, and lost wages. Occupants of buses are NOT provided with coverage if they are riding a bus. So if they are injured through no fault of their own on a bus they CAN NOT  use this benefit to help pay for their treatment. These unlucky individuals typically end up finding personal injury attorneys to represent their interest who then refer them for treatment to many facilities in the city (including our office).

While there is no PIP coverage available under the bus’ insurance, it is important to note that these injured bus passengers typically do have other options in terms of how to pay for their treatment. Firstly, if they own and insure a motor vehicle, then their personal PIP policy from their motor vehicle will cover them for these injuries. Yes, even though the injuries occurred outside of the car, the PIP policy will still pay for treatment. You can think of this PIP policy as being like an umbrella that you carry with you wherever you go, regardless of which type of motor vehicle you happen to be in at any given time. If a patient does not own and insure a motor vehicle, then they can sometimes be covered under the PIP policy of the homeowner that they are living with provided that that homeowner owns a vehicle that has PIP (and depending on the language of that insurance policy). Secondly, if PIP is not available through other insurance policies, the injured bus patient can also use health insurance if they have it. Our office is in network with many health insurance companies in this region.

Clearly figuring out if PIP is available to an injured patient in Baltimore City is complex, but we would be more than happy to help you determine if there is insurance available to help you pay for your injuries and lost wages while you recover. If you, or someone you know, has been injured as a result of a Baltimore bus accident, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic. We can help you determine if there is insurance coverage (whether it is PIP or health insurance) that may be available for you to receive treatment.

Dr. Gulitz

Injuries Due to Baltimore Motorcycle Accidents

As a Baltimore Chiropractor that spends the majority of my time treating patients involved in motor vehicle collisions (car accidents) in Baltimore, I typically come across several patients each day that are suffering from headaches, neck pain, radiating arm pain, back pain, and sometimes even radiating leg pain. During my initial past medical history and evaluation I ask about any cuts, scrapes, or bruises that these patients may have received as a result of their Baltimore whiplash injuries. Most of the time there are no signs of any of these injuries for “traditional” whiplash patients. That is, they have musculoskeletal injuries that are determined as a result of range of motion, orthopedic, and neurological analysis, but there are no cuts, scrapes, and bruises. The reason for this is pretty straight forward- besides maybe hitting their neck and head on part of the car during the impact, there are rarely ever any high velocity impacts with the occupants body and the car. Once in a while we can see some facial bruising, abdominal bruising, and cuts from a seat belt, but these are not an every day occurrence.

I occasionally treat Baltimore residents who have suffered from motorcycle accidents. Admittedly, I treat way fewer of these types of patients than “traditional” car accidents. I suspect that this is for two main reasons. First, there are way more motor vehicles on the road as compared to motorcycles, so its a volume argument. Secondly, and this part is sad, many times when motorists are involved in motorcycle crashes they do not survive. In spite of wearing helmets and road “leathers” sometimes even relatively low speed crashes can prove to be fatal. In fact, just this past week there was a report of a Baltimore Orioles minor leaguer who was killed in a motorcycle crash in the Dominican Republic. You can read the article here.

When I do come across patients involved in Baltimore motorcycle accidents,there are similar patterns of injury. Typically the motorcycle rider was either struck by or into another motor vehicle, in which case they are thrown from the motorcycle, or, in an effort to avoid a collision, they “roll” their motorcycle to either the left or the right and they skid on the ground until enough friction allows them to stop. You can see how these types of injuries are often more severe, and in some cases, life threatening compared to traditional Baltimore auto accidents.

With these patients I make sure to examine their skin for any evidence of cuts, scrapes, and bruises. While it is true that I personally will not be treating these injuries, we want to make sure that they are not at risk for any infection since that could be a bigger problem down the road. Typically with these patients in addition to abrasions, contusions, and lacerations there is a large amount of concussions that we note. This is due to the high velocity with which they strike the ground. In these cases we make sure to refer them to a neurologist for prompt evaluation and diagnosis. It is important to note that just because a motorcyclist was wearing a helmet, it does NOT mean that they won’t experience a concussion.

As with all Baltimore motor vehicle collision injury patients we make sure to have the patients evaluated by a medical doctor as well. That is, two professionals are better than one and I want to make sure that I have not missed any subtle diagnosis that would otherwise cause the patient more harm.

If you, or someone you know, has suffered injuries as a result of a Baltimore motorcycle accident, please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to help!

Dr. Gulitz