Referrals and Chiropractors

I am asked often about whether an attorney should have a select group of doctors to refer cases to or accept cases from. (By the way, if you are an attorney and you want to market your practice differently than everyone else, check out this website from Virginia Attorney Ben Glass. You will stop worrying about getting referrals from doctors.)

I would limit this or avoid it. In the greater Sacramento four county area we have 3 million people or so. We have thousands of chiropractors. Why can’t I do business with most of them? (There are some who I shouldn’t do business with, but those are different reasons.) Sure, I have one or two who are really good who I love to work with. Good notes, good reports, fair bills. Amazingly, the one I am thinking about right now? Never asked her to reduce a bill. Well, I did just ask her to knock 52 cents off a bill, but that was only because it made my math easier. She is great and I think the world of her, but there is a downside…………

Insurance companies now track data like no one’s business. They might put the NSA to shame with the amount of data they collect. Typical scenario: Claimant is struck by a car. A claim is set up with name, date of birth, address. Heck, some claimants, before they get an attorney, will give up a SS#. Now, insurance company can track any prior claims. We all know this happens. But………….

Claimant treats with you. You give your bill to the attorney. At the top of your bill, you list your EIN or some other identifying number. Now, they have a number to plug in for you. Of course, before I can get paid, I have to give up my EIN thanks to the IRS. Now they can track me. So…………..

Next time I send in a letter of representation, they put me into the system and they know which docs I work with. If they see a pattern of me continually representing Dr. X’s patients, they refer the file to SIU. There may be nothing wrong and everything may be on the up and up, but the case is now substantially harder to settle.

That is why I constantly encourage attorneys (and doctors) to have a group of people to refer to. Sure, if someone is involved in an MVA near my favorite doctor and they have no place else to go, I will give out her name. But, in the course of a year, we may only have 6 or 8 cases together. Not a ton. But, it is the best relationship I have. I know that she will be fair, reasonable and give me documentation to settle the case. I also know that she is 100% supportive if I tell her I need to file, serve or even try the case. Complete trust in my ability to practice law. At the same time, she knows she is going to get paid. I will pay her in full before I take a fee. She knows I know what I am doing and will get the client the best possible settlement. It’s a win-win and has nothing to do with volume.

Avoid referrals with one or two or a small group of doctors. The bigger your pool, the easier it is to avoid the SIU trap.

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