How Does Attaining Maximum Medical Enhancement Impact Your Injury Claim? 

A few accident victims can never completely recover from the injuries. They come to a point in their recovery process when ongoing medical treatment will not enhance the condition. For instance, the injury victim can only recover up to 80% of what they were prior to the crash, irrespective of the treatment. 

You need to realize that the victims might get benefitted from continuous treatment. The doctors can assist the patients in managing their physical limitations and pain from the injury, which can help enhance the life quality. Also, the lawyers usually don’t start to negotiate the compensation till such times the victims attain the maximum medical enhancement. It will help the lawyers to decide on the treatment for the future. To know more about this, you can check out Seattle Injury Law PLLC. 

The meaning of maximum medical improvement 

Simply put, MMI (Maximum Medical Improvement) can mean various things. When it comes to the accident victims witnessing severe injuries, it might indicate that they received the required medical treatment and recovered to a considerable extent but were not healed. That aside, reaching MMI can also mean a person has totally recovered from the injuries post the mandatory treatment. 

Who decides when a person has attained MMI?

The treating doctor decides whether a person has attained the MMI. But it is necessary to know that you possess the right to seek various opinions concerning injuries and how you can treat them. Just in case the insurance company fails to agree with what the doctor has to say about reaching the MMI, they might urge you to opt-in for an IME (Independent Medical Exam). It means that they will get in touch with their concerned doctors to review all your injuries and decide if it’s permanent or if you can recover. 

Can the elective processes impact MMI designation?

The injury victims can get concerned about rejecting the process, which can impact the decision of the doctor concerning the MMI. It’s a problem that you should consider based on your case. It could be that the doctor stays within their rights to state you have attained MMI when you refuse to get treated with the surgical process that can or can’t enhance your condition. 

Finally, it is essential to think about whether you should wait until you have attained the MMI before giving the demand letter. The truth is waiting till such time you have attained the maximum medical enhancement for sending the demand letter is usually the solution. But there are a few situations where you have to send the demand letter till such time there is a diagnosis. Here a lawyer can suggest you send the demand letter prior to the accident victim attaining the MMI in case they have witnessed severe injuries. Also, the policy restricts the insurance that might not cover the total value of the entire claim. Once you know these, you can make your legal case strong with the help of an expert attorney.