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Personal Injury Education · Guide
When they understand each other, patients get better care and clearer records.
When an injured patient has both a treating provider and a personal injury attorney, those two professionals need to understand each other. When they do, patients get better care and clearer records. When they don’t, the patient is stuck in the middle. Much of my work has been with treating physicians, personal injury attorneys and their teams: improving how they communicate, coordinating care and helping injured patients find their way through the process. Most breakdowns come from a few predictable gaps.
Role
Primary job
Not their job
Treating provider
Diagnose, treat and document the injury honestly
Build the legal case
Personal injury attorney
Advise the client and handle the legal claim
Direct medical treatment
Case manager or paralegal
Track records, appointments and updates
Make clinical or legal decisions
Patient
Attend care, report symptoms and stay in contact
Coordinate between everyone alone
— Timely records. Notes are completed promptly and sent when requested with the patient’s authorization.
— Proactive updates. Attorneys hear about referrals, imaging and major changes in the treatment plan.
— Missed-appointment follow-up. Providers try to reschedule and, with patient permission, keep the attorney informed.
— Clear, accurate billing. Statements match the care delivered.
— One point of contact on each side, so questions don’t get lost.
— Respect for boundaries. Clinical decisions stay clinical, and legal decisions stay legal.
01
Records requests sit for weeks with no response.
02
Attorneys learn about a referral or a discharge months later.
03
Patients stop coming in and nobody notices.
04
Notes are too generic to show how the patient is doing.
05
Each side assumes the other is keeping the patient informed.
Providers generally need a patient’s written authorization before sharing health information with an attorney. Good collaboration never means cutting corners on HIPAA or patient consent.
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Should my doctor talk to my attorney?
With your written permission, it’s common for providers to share records and updates with your attorney. It helps everyone stay on the same page.
Can my attorney choose my doctor?
Patients generally choose their own providers. Your attorney may suggest options, but the decision about where you get care, and what treatment you accept, is yours to make with your doctor.
That independence matters. Medical decisions should be based on your injuries and your provider’s clinical judgment, not on the legal side of your case. If your case moves forward, the other side may ask how you found your provider and why you chose them, including in a deposition or at trial. Being able to say you chose your care yourself, for medical reasons, helps keep the focus on your treatment.
If you’re unsure about a provider an attorney has suggested, it’s fine to ask questions, get a second opinion or choose someone else. For questions about your specific case, talk with your attorney.
What if my provider and attorney aren’t communicating?
Ask both for a single point of contact and let each know the other’s contact information.
Medical-side insight for your files.
For Attorneys →
The higher PI standard, and the practice behind it.
For Providers →
Attorneys and providers, on The Accident Podcast.
Podcast →
Written by Dr. Jeff Raiffie, founder of AZ Injury Doctors, with about 26 years of experience in personal injury healthcare.
The information on this site is for general educational purposes only. It is not legal advice or medical advice, and it doesn’t create a doctor-patient or attorney-client relationship. Every injury and every case is different. If you have a medical emergency, call 911. For legal questions, talk with a licensed attorney in your state.