The best attorneys in the world only accept cases that provide the three Ds. Why? They know that the three Ds in a personal injury case make or break the settlement or their case. Claims adjusters know the same thing—they know that there are three diagnosis that are overlooked in a lot of personal injury cases, and that saves the insurance company big money.
My concern is the care of the patient. I tell all of my injury patients that as a doctor, my job has three parts:

Doctors—Treatment for any injury requires a team approach. It is important that the chiropractor or medical doctor triage the entire injury and not just the biggest pain. I have seen a lot of patients who had multiple injuries but were only treated for the most severe injury and released. They come to us because they still have problems. We refer to a specialist and communicate with the primary care doctors on a regular basis.

Diagnosis—Diagnosis often requires special testing like x-rays, MRI, motion X-ray, or CT scans. It also requires referral to the proper specialist: Orthopedic Surgeon, Neurosurgeon, Clinical Psychologist, Neurologist, and primary care physician.

Documentation—Documenting an injury requires good diagnosis, review of the records of all other providers, and a working up a good treatment plan to suit the needs of the individual patient. At the end of your case, we document anything that is permanent.

With good information and good documentation, the attorney’s job becomes much, much easier.

Patrick Lowe, D.C.

Dr. Lowe is a chiropractor in Louisville, KY. He is a member of the American Association of Medical-Legal Professionals. See his professional resume (Curriculum Vitae) online.