It goes without saying that an injury may be life-changing, altering your independence and changing elements of your life plan unexpectedly. Many injuries are not as simple as visiting a doctor once — they may require lifelong care from a medical provider, and with that care comes extensive medical and hospital bills. Considerations for future medical costs need to be a part of your legal strategy moving forward — the attorneys at Casey, Devoti & Brockland help you calculate the proper ongoing compensation.
Calculating Personal Injury Compensation
Personal injury compensation for ongoing treatment is defined as the value of the medical treatment and hospital bills you will need in the near or distant future. Under Missouri law, you can make a claim for the treatment provided to date as well as the treatment you will require in the future.
However, the law does not allow you to speculate on your treatment costs. You must get the opinion of a healthcare provider identifying the treatment you will need and why the treatment is necessary. The standard phrase for this is “reasonable and necessary” — a lawyer will ask the consulting healthcare provider what treatment they believe a patient will need in the future, and if they characterize it as necessary under the circumstances that exist. You can calculate the proper personal injury compensation for your hospital bills by working with multiple experts in the fields you may require treatment in, such as neurology and orthopedics.
Consider a birth injury case in which a young child will need care and support for the rest of their life. In this example, the attorneys at Casey, Devoti & Brockland would hire a life care planner who would reach out to the appropriate doctors and ask them to identify foreseeable treatment for each period of life. The calculation will factor in hospital bills, doctor bills, surgeries, therapies and support services such as transportation. Keep in mind that Missouri law only caps elements that a value cannot be put in a medical negligence case — there is no legal cap for medical costs involved with an accident.
Factoring in a Future of Hospital Bills and Medical Care
The current state of the world is an influential factor in cases requiring ongoing treatment. The cost of treatment in today’s dollars may not be enough in the future. Depending on the severity of your condition, our team may hire an economist to factor in forecasts for future inflation rates before pursuing a specific amount in personal injury compensation. Ultimately, our attorneys work to set you up for long-term care so that you do not have to worry about future economic conditions when handling your medical and hospital bills.
Taking the Next Steps
Personal injury cases involving ongoing treatment are commonplace. At Casey, Devoti & Brockland, we often see neurological conditions, orthopedic injuries, pulmonary issues and respiratory conditions that require continuing, extensive treatment. We recommend that if you are injured, you seek legal counsel immediately.
An attorney gives you advice on how to handle your hospital bills, the charges to expect and your rights moving forward. We will identify powerful testimony from physicians in fields that may treat them in the future, life care planners and economists. We can help identify additional areas of personal injury compensation that are difficult to value, such as independence, frustration and embarrassment.
Your health journey may be long, but we are here every step of the way. For more information on hospital bills after an injury, visit our personal injury blog — and when you are ready, contact our attorneys for a free consultation.
