Frequently Asked Questions

What Does My Treating Doctor Need To Know Before They Talk To The Insurance Company?

Frank Darras:

“Insurance companies always try and catch your treating doctor off-guard. What does that mean?”

“Your doctor doesn’t have your current job description, really doesn’t understand the physical and cognitive demands of your occupation. You haven’t taken a list to your treating doctor where you identified your pain problems on a scale of 1 to 10. You forgot to list all the medication side effects that you were experiencing. You don’t have a couple of good examples. I walked into the kitchen. The next thing I knew, I was holding a knife, but there wasn’t anything out. I couldn’t remember why I was holding the knife.”

“Examples of cognitive problems or side effects so that when the carrier’s doctor gets your physician on the phone, he knows what your duties are. He knows what your demands are, physical and mental. And he can do a very, very good job of outlining your restrictions and your limitations so the carrier can’t take advantage of you or misstate or misunderstand what your treating doctor wrote.”