It’s been five months since the Florida Legislature’s sweeping changes to the state Personal Injury Protection statute took effect, and the feedback we’re hearing is that medical providers are still uncertain about how the reform will affect their businesses.Much remains to be seen.
Insurers have yet to lower PIP premiums – the biggest payoff the measure was promised to deliver for Florida motorists. In fact, recent reports show that rates have actually gone up, by up to 26.3 percent in some cases.
Gov. Rick Scott’s signature legislative priority is also under constitutional attack. A group of chiropractors, massage therapists and acupuncturists – providers no longer covered in the treatment of auto accident injuries – have sued the state, saying the new law "imposes sweeping changes and significant restrictions on both health care providers and consumers."
In this time of uncertainty, it is more important than ever to understand just what these changes mean to you, your business and your bottom line. That’s why, beginning in September, our Boca Raton-based law firm of Ellis, Ged & Bodden, P.A., hosted free, informative and interactive seminars and webinars across Florida to equip medical professionals with all the tools and information they need to effectively manage their PIP patient load in light of the new requirements.
Over five weeks, from Sept. 26 to Oct. 25, EGB legal experts traveled the state, from West Palm Beach to Tampa, Sarasota, Pensacola and other cities, visiting over a dozen medical providers. With presentations and question-and-answer sessions, we discussed critical changes, including:
• Florida drivers no longer are eligible to seek reimbursement for their full $10,000 PIP coverage for any verifiable injury suffered in an auto accident. Only those injuries diagnosed as requiring “emergency” treatment qualify for full coverage under the new law, and only a medical doctor, dentist, nurse practitioner or physician assistant can diagnose such injuries. All non-emergency injuries, such as whiplash and back pain – among the most common – are eligible for a maximum of just $2,500 in medical treatment.
• Accident victims must seek treatment within 14 days to qualify for coverage.
• Massage therapy and acupuncture visits are no longer covered.
• A glitch that some fear leaves a six-month eligibility gap potentially allows insurers to stiff certain medical providers, such as doctors, chiropractors, medical schools and dentists, for legitimate PIP-related treatment costs between July 1, 2012, and Jan. 1, 2013.
The gatherings were free, part of Ellis, Ged & Bodden’s mission to equip the medical community with the information and advice it needs to continue to operate in this new climate in the most effective way possible.
Did you miss the tour? No problem. Give us a call at (561) 995-1966 to schedule a visit to your offices, and we will be happy to repeat the presentation for your staff, and answer any lingering questions you may have.
Florida’s laws affecting medical providers are a constantly evolving tangle of often-complicated requirements and stipulations. Any misstep or confusion in trying to meet these demands can hurt your practice’s ability to recoup the money you’ve earned. Don’t let that happen. Ellis, Ged & Bodden was actively involved in the legislative wrangling over PIP reform and fought to protect medical providers’ interests throughout the 2012 session, so we know how best to advise doctors, hospitals, MRI facilities and other providers on how to make the new law work for them. We look forward to sharing all those details with you.
