How to Find the Right Medical Funding Services for Your Clients

Medical Funding Services Should Not Cost the Client, Medical Provider, or Attorney Upfront

Personal injury plaintiffs may be worried about the cost of their medical care. The right medical funding services will pay medical providers—either at the time of service or after treatment is complete—then get reimbursed once the case settles. The client never has any out-of-pocket costs during treatment, and the medical practice’s financial burden is relieved. 

When you work with these medical funding companies, your clients don’t have to worry about financial hardship resulting from their medical bills until their case settles. By partnering with a medical funding service you can add value by reducing gaps in medical treatment and avoid financial burdens on your clients.

Many personal injury firms may not have the resources to help the patient coordinate, manage, and receive medical care. Medical funding helps your firm ensure your client receives the right care and provides fast payment to the medical provider, so they can focus on your client without worrying about getting paid for their services.

Ensure any partner you work with shares the same values and mission when it comes to establishing a mutually beneficial partnership between plaintiffs, medical providers, and your firm. Additionally, look for partners who streamline communications and provide fast turnarounds so your client can be treated quickly. Here is an overview of what you should look for in medical funding services.

Medical Funding Services Should Cover a Wide Range of Care

After an accident, the plaintiff needs coverage for medical expenses and other accident-related costs. Always keep in mind these costs go beyond the direct, obvious costs your client might expect. 

Plaintiffs will need your guidance when medical costs arise—such as imaging, physical therapy, and surgical procedures—so they can receive and pay for necessary care.

Primary Care

Personal injury patients will likely need to see their primary care provider (PCP) on an ongoing basis for follow-up care. On average, PCP visits cost $100—a steep price if many visits are needed, especially if the patient is out of work and has reduced income during their recovery. Medical funding should also cover the ongoing expenses related to follow-up care from the accident until the case settles.

Imaging

Costs for imaging can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Before treatment begins, expensive imaging is often needed first to diagnose the condition and understand the extent of injuries. Discovering the true cause of a client’s injury can ensure that a client gets full value. Don’t let a disk herniation go undiscovered because your client is worried about medical bills. 

Most accident victims cannot pay for imaging services out-of-pocket, so it’s essential that their medical funding company covers all costs related to their treatment.

Surgical Costs

Depending on the injury’s severity, your client may also require surgical care. Concussions and traumatic brain injuries are common circumstances, and surgery for severe brain injuries can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Procedures for the back, neck, and broken bones are less, but still significantly expensive. Personal injury clients need confidence that medical funding will also cover their surgical care.

Pharmacy Costs

Medications for pain, infection, and other conditions may be necessary after an accident. A pharmacy card program can assist plaintiffs in obtaining prescriptions on a medical lien. Even if your clients are uninsured, they will still be able to get the care they need.

Once a client’s healthcare provider determines that certain medications are necessary after their accident, the process of getting proper treatment and supplies needs to be simple. The best medical funding services partner will ensure there are no copays, deductibles, coinsurance fees, or out-of-pocket expenses.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Care

Chandi Edmonds, an assistant professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, estimates the lifetime cost of treatment for a person with a traumatic brain injury to be $85,000 to $3 million.

Traumatic brain injuries are serious. Pain and damage aside, TBIs can cost your client when it comes to treatment, not to mention time off from work and, thereby, loss of income. The unemployment rate for the average adult experiencing a TBI is 60 percent—even a few years post-diagnosis.
A good medical funding partner should provide access to a variety of specialists to treat your client’s TBI—including neurosurgeons, neurologists, vestibular therapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, and psychologists.

Medical Funding Services Should Be Fast

Medical funding services should be made available quickly to make sure there are no barriers to getting your client the medical care they need. A medical funding partner should help your client schedule an appointment with the appropriate medical professional as soon as possible after an accident and ensure there are no barriers to continued treatment. Highly-skilled medical funding case managers are able to complete underwriting quickly and provide immediate updates.

Look for medical funding services that can promise rapid response times, provide high-speed servicing, help plaintiffs get the medical care they need, and strengthen your personal injury case.

Medical Funding Services Should Help Clients Achieve Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI)

The best medical funding services remove the burden of care coordination from your practice so you can focus on the legal aspects of the claim. A trustworthy medical funding partner will understand the complexity of personal injury cases and take over managing the patient’s care.

Medical funding services should help clients get to the healthcare provider, understand their own care plan, and stay engaged with their care throughout the healing process. The areas below are some other factors you will want your medical funding partner to cover.

Transportation

Clients may struggle to get to appointments with medical providers for various reasons, such as a lack of access to public transportation. They need solutions that help them get to their physician. Transportation difficulty can lead to delayed care, missed appointments, and inconsistent medication use.

Evidence suggests that transportation difficulties are a critical barrier to healthcare access—particularly for uninsured plaintiffs or individuals with lower incomes. In fact, millions of vulnerable American populations reportedly face transportation struggles that hinder them from getting the care they deserve. Addressing the patient’s barriers will give them a greater chance to achieve MMI.

Translation

Language barriers may prevent a client from following their treatment plan. According to a 2017 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services report, of 52 million Medicare beneficiaries, eight percent have limited English proficiency. It is crucial that plaintiffs receive the care they need and are able to communicate clearly throughout the process. Otherwise, they may not get the results they deserve.

Non-native English speakers’ barriers might include language and cultural differences, lack of knowledge, a lower socioeconomic status, and more. It becomes very difficult for these clients to fill out forms or speak to their healthcare provider without a translator present. Being unable to clearly communicate with a physician can have significant consequences for these patients, and they deserve to feel comfortable managing their wellness just as much as everyone else.

You can make sure your non-native English speaking clients get the most out of their treatment.

Engagement in Care

Engaging patients in their own care is becoming the standard for the healthcare industry. When your client is engaged, a greater level of care can be provided, and they are more likely to avoid treatment gaps and achieve MMI. Encourage your client to take as active a role as possible in their own health and wellness.

Medical funding services that feature greater communication via online appointment scheduling, more efficient collections with an online bill pay option, and beyond can improve patient engagement. Anything that makes life easier for your client will, in turn, take some of the stress off of your shoulders, as well.

Increase Your Bottom Line With the Right Medical Funding Services Provider

To realize the best-case scenario for both you and your client, you need the appropriate partner that can address the complex medical and financial aspects of your case. When all you want to do is help your clients who need it, make sure you have tools at your disposal to succeed.

Speak with Medical Funding Experts to learn more about how you can best assist your clients and achieve maximum results in every case.