When making a claim for compensation in order to verify that you have indeed been injured in your accident a lawyer who specialises in personal injury will need to send you for a medical.
During your medical assessment, a specialist will examine your injuries to determine how they will impact your life.
What type of doctor will I see?
Medical assessments for personal injury claims are carried out by doctors who specialise in specific injuries. These doctors are sometimes referred to as medico-legal doctors because they practice in accident injuries and have a deep understanding of the legal side of things.
The doctor who carries out your medical examination must be totally independent and not connected to any of your previous medical issues. Australian Accident Helpline and our panel of law firms are partnered with some of the most experienced medico-legal specialists in the country. So, you can be sure that your assessment is honest, accurate and carried out by a person who specializes in injuries like yours.
For example, if you have suffered whiplash a doctor who specialises in neck and spine injuries will make your assessment. On the other hand, if you if you were wrongfully hurt during a medical procedure you will be looked at by a doctor who specialises in that field.
What will happen during my medical?
During the medical, you will discuss how your injuries have affected your life. You will be asked to explain in detail which parts of your day to day activities have been impacted the most. For example, does your burden your working capacity, social or family activities.
After your chat, a physical examination will be carried out by the expert. There is no one size fits all procedure so to speak with medicals.
The exact nature of your examination will depend on what type of injuries you have suffered from.
An average medico-legal examination lasts for approximately 30 minutes. However, if your injuries are extraordinary assessments can be considerably longer.
Do I need to prepare for the medical?
It’s good to be clear when explaining to the doctor how your injuries came about and how they are affecting you. It’s good to resight the events with a friend or family member beforehand if you think that you might get nervous during the assessment.
You will be under no pressure whatsoever during your medical and the assessing doctor will not be trying to catch you out, nor will they ask you any tricky questions about your accident or injuries.
We realise that some people might feel uncomfortable talking about their accident in detail, especially if they suffered serious injuries or lost a loved one. If you think that you might feel nervous during your examination, one of our lawyers will try their utmost to make you feel comfortable and prepare you for the examination as best they can.
Do I need to tell the doctor about my medical history?
It’s important, to be honest, and open with your examiner and it’s best to disclose your previous medical history to them.
For example, if you have an underlying condition from an arm injury you suffered in the past, you must let them know.
This is absolutely normal and standard procedure in all medico-legal examinations so please don’t feel like it is an invasion of privacy. It’s not a legal requirement to disclose your medical history but it does help. If you need more information about medicals or are worried about sharing your medical history speak to one of our lawyers today. Call 1800 106 107 for free tailored advice and support.
What happens after my medical?
After the examination, the specialist will draught a report that contains their prognosis. The main focus of the report will be how your injuries have or expect to impact your life. It will also confirm that the injuries you have suffered are the ones that you suffered in your accident and that it’s these injuries that are affecting you, not a prior medical condition.
In some rare cases, claimants are unhappy with their medical report.
There can be a number of reasons for this and in many cases, it can be as simple as a misunderstanding between you and the examiner.
In these types of instances, your lawyer will arrange for another medical and until we achieve an accurate report.
How much does a medical cost?
Medical examinations are notoriously expensive as reputable medico-legal doctors are quite hard to come by.
The cost of your examination will depend on the complexity of your injuries.
However, please don’t worry about the cost or about having to pay for your medical out of your own pocket.
Millner and Knight’s lawyers will arrange and pay for your medical examination for you. When you make a claim with us there is no out of pocket expenses whatsoever, did you know that making a no win no fuss claim with us is also 100% risk-free?
What to do next?
If you’ve suffered injuries in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you’re probably considering starting a compensation claim. If that’s you we can help, one call is all it takes to find out whether you can claim with one of Millner and Knight’s lawyers.
Call our legally trained advisors today on 1800 106 107. All calls are free, and you’ll never be pressured into claiming compensation with us.
