If you have found yourself in a situation where you need a doctor’s approval to send to an insurance company or employer in order to benefit from long or short term disability assistance, it’s important to understand how to approach your doctor for help. Some doctors are more willing than others to help with disability claims. While you may find you don’t need a strategy going in to your next appointment, many patients find it helpful to bear the following tips in mind.
1. Set clear expectations, and relate these to your doctor. Remember that you aren’t the only patient your doctor has on her or his mind. Doctors are busy people with a lot to think about and people constantly asking them for help – make it easy for them to say yes to helping you by laying out the specifics of what you need from them. If you need them to sign off on some forms, let them know. If you need a note to bring back to work, detail what you need it to say. IF you put these requests in writing, you may find that your doctor gets back to you much more quickly.
2. Help them to save time. Doctors will be happier to help you if they see you taking initiative to save their valuable time. Perhaps this means filling out the lengthy disability paperwork fields that you are able to fill out on your own, and letting the doctor fill out the pieces that their medical knowledge is required for. Even if you only fill out the sections with your address and the address of your doctor, you have saved some time and made it easier for them to help you help yourself.
3. Try to build a rapport with one doctor. It’s usually in your best interest to see the same doctor over the course of several years when possible. This way, when you do need help with something it is more likely that your personal relationship will help you to ask your doctor for special assistance when it comes to things like disability claims.
4. Be prepared to pay a fee. If all else fails, understand that your doctor may need to be paid a fee for preparing your documentation, particularly if they are lengthy and complicated.
If your doctor is ultimately uncooperative with your case, then it might be time to call in the legal experts. A legal team can help you to assess your disability situation and to determine if someone might hold liability for your inability to get the benefits that you are entitled to.
1. Set clear expectations, and relate these to your doctor. Remember that you aren’t the only patient your doctor has on her or his mind. Doctors are busy people with a lot to think about and people constantly asking them for help – make it easy for them to say yes to helping you by laying out the specifics of what you need from them. If you need them to sign off on some forms, let them know. If you need a note to bring back to work, detail what you need it to say. IF you put these requests in writing, you may find that your doctor gets back to you much more quickly.
2. Help them to save time. Doctors will be happier to help you if they see you taking initiative to save their valuable time. Perhaps this means filling out the lengthy disability paperwork fields that you are able to fill out on your own, and letting the doctor fill out the pieces that their medical knowledge is required for. Even if you only fill out the sections with your address and the address of your doctor, you have saved some time and made it easier for them to help you help yourself.
3. Try to build a rapport with one doctor. It’s usually in your best interest to see the same doctor over the course of several years when possible. This way, when you do need help with something it is more likely that your personal relationship will help you to ask your doctor for special assistance when it comes to things like disability claims.
4. Be prepared to pay a fee. If all else fails, understand that your doctor may need to be paid a fee for preparing your documentation, particularly if they are lengthy and complicated.
If your doctor is ultimately uncooperative with your case, then it might be time to call in the legal experts. A legal team can help you to assess your disability situation and to determine if someone might hold liability for your inability to get the benefits that you are entitled to.
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