Start a provider list
Begin with a single page, on paper or in a note on your phone, that lists every place you have been seen since the injury. Add to it each time you see someone new, including the ambulance service, the emergency room, your regular doctor, specialists, physical therapy, and imaging centers.
- Provider or facility name
- Address and phone number
- Date of each visit
- What the visit was for, in your own words
Keep the paper that comes with care
Put discharge instructions, visit summaries, prescriptions, referral slips, and work notes into one folder. If something comes through an online patient portal, save or print a copy, since portal access can change.
You do not need to request your full medical records before calling the office. When records are needed, the office can explain how that request is made and what it covers.
Track bills and insurance statements
Bills and explanation of benefits statements often arrive weeks after a visit, and they can be confusing. Keep every one, even if it says you owe nothing. Note which bills you have paid, which are pending, and which went to health insurance.
- Who the bill is from and the date of service
- The amount billed, the amount paid, and by whom
- Any balance you were asked to pay
- Pharmacy receipts and medical equipment costs
Appointments and how you are doing
A short line each week about pain, sleep, mobility, and what you could not do is more useful than trying to remember months later. Keep upcoming appointments on the same list so nothing is missed.
Follow your providers' instructions about care. Questions about treatment belong with them, not with the office.
Talk with the office
Bring whatever you have, however incomplete. The consultation is free, and there is no attorney fee unless we recover compensation. Call (907) 569-6633, Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 Alaska time, or send a short note through the site.