Short Answer

Yes. In a North Carolina personal injury claim, your lawyer can usually contact your chiropractor about case-related issues if you have authorized the release of your health information. The main caveat is privacy: the provider may need a signed medical authorization before discussing treatment, sending records, confirming balances, or responding to claim questions. Your lawyer should coordinate records, bills, and claim communications without directing your medical care.

What This Question Usually Means

If you are treating with a chiropractor after an accident, your attorney may need to contact the provider for several practical reasons. The law firm may need to send a letter of representation, request medical records and itemized bills, confirm dates of treatment, ask where future requests should be sent, or find out whether the provider is claiming an unpaid balance connected to the injury claim.

This is different from telling the chiropractor how to treat you. Your medical decisions should remain between you and your health care providers. A personal injury lawyer’s role is usually to collect and organize claim-related information so the injury claim can be evaluated and presented accurately.

Why Your Authorization Matters Before a Provider Discusses Treatment

Chiropractic records can contain private health information. Because of privacy rules, many providers will not discuss your treatment or send records to your lawyer unless they have a signed authorization from you. That authorization should identify what information can be released, who can receive it, and the general purpose of the request.

In practice, your lawyer may send the chiropractor a letter of representation along with a medical authorization. The letter may ask the provider to update its records so future bills, lien notices, records, and claim communications go to the correct law firm contact. Some providers may ask for their own release form or may require requests through a records service or patient portal.

North Carolina law also recognizes the importance of patient records in chiropractic care. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 90-148 requires licensed chiropractors to maintain patient records for at least seven years after the provider ends services to the patient and the record is closed. In plain English, that means treatment records should generally exist even if the provider’s public contact information has changed.

What Your Lawyer May Ask the Chiropractor For

When the contact is related to a Durham personal injury claim, the request is often administrative and documentation-focused. Your lawyer may ask for:

• Complete treatment records, not just a short summary.
• Itemized bills showing charges, payments, adjustments, and any remaining balance.
• Dates of treatment related to the accident.
• The provider’s correct mailing address, fax number, email address, billing contact, or records vendor.
• Any written notice of a claimed medical lien or unpaid treatment balance.
• Clarification about whether the office has closed, moved, changed ownership, or transferred records.

Complete records matter because an insurance adjuster may question whether treatment was related to the accident, whether there were gaps in care, or whether the records support the symptoms being claimed. For more detail on the records and bills often needed from chiropractic and other providers, Wallace Pierce Law has a related guide on medical records and bills from chiropractors and other providers.

If the Chiropractor’s Phone Number or Website Is Inactive

An inactive phone number or website does not necessarily mean the records are gone. It may mean the office moved, changed phone systems, closed, sold the practice, or transferred billing and records to another custodian.

If your lawyer is trying to send a letter of representation and cannot reach the provider, helpful next steps may include:

• Providing any bill, receipt, appointment card, intake paperwork, email, text message, or portal message from the chiropractor.
• Checking whether your records list a corporate office, billing company, records department, or alternate provider name.
• Looking for claim forms or explanation-of-benefits documents that show a billing address, tax identification name, or service location.
• Confirming the exact name you used when you treated, including any name change or spelling issue.
• Writing down the approximate dates you treated and the location where you were seen.

These details can help counsel identify the correct custodian of records. It can also reduce delays if the provider’s public-facing contact information is outdated.

How Provider Bills and Possible Liens Can Affect the Claim

Medical billing information is not just paperwork. It may affect how a settlement is evaluated and how funds are distributed if the claim resolves. Some North Carolina medical providers may claim a right to be paid from personal injury proceeds if certain legal requirements are met.

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44-49 addresses certain medical provider liens on personal injury recoveries and includes requirements tied to itemized statements, medical records, medical reports, and written lien notice. In plain English, if a provider is claiming payment from an injury recovery, the attorney needs enough documentation to understand the bill, the records, and the provider’s position.

This is one reason your lawyer may want updated contact information early. If the provider cannot be reached until late in the claim, it may slow down review of treatment records, balances, and any lien issues.

What Your Lawyer Should Not Do When Contacting a Chiropractor

It is appropriate for a lawyer to coordinate case-related communications, but there are limits. A lawyer should not tell the chiropractor what treatment to provide, ask the provider to change records, or pressure the provider to say something that is not medically supported. The records should reflect what actually happened during treatment.

A lawyer may, however, ask for complete records, itemized bills, and clear answers to claim-related questions. If a provider offers an opinion about diagnosis, treatment, causation, work restrictions, or future care, that opinion should come from the provider’s own medical judgment and documentation.

Deadlines Still Matter While Records Are Being Collected

Trying to locate a provider or waiting on chiropractic records does not automatically extend a lawsuit deadline. For many North Carolina personal injury claims, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-52 provides a three-year limitations period for many injury and property-damage claims. In plain English, claim discussions, records requests, and negotiations with an insurer usually do not pause the time to file a lawsuit.

If the claim is approaching a deadline, your lawyer may need to evaluate timing separately from the records issue. Missing records can create practical problems, but they should not be ignored until the last minute.

How This Applies to Your Situation

Based on the facts provided, the main issue is not whether counsel may contact the chiropractor. The main issue is how to find the correct contact point and obtain permission-backed information in a way that protects your privacy and keeps the claim moving.

If the provider’s phone number and website appear inactive, your lawyer may need help from you to identify the office, provider, billing address, records custodian, or any alternate contact information. Even a partial document can be useful. A single bill may show the service location, billing entity, account number, or records vendor. A portal message or appointment reminder may show a current email address or text number.

You can also help by making a short list of what you remember: the provider’s name, clinic name, address, dates of treatment, how you paid, whether health insurance was used, and whether you signed any lien or payment agreement. That information can help counsel send the letter of representation and follow up with a focused records request.

Information to Gather Before or After Your Lawyer Reaches Out

If you have access to any of the following, save copies and send them to your legal team:

• Chiropractic intake forms, treatment plans, or discharge paperwork.
• Visit summaries, appointment reminders, emails, text messages, or portal screenshots.
• Receipts, account statements, collection letters, or balance notices.
• Health insurance explanation-of-benefits documents related to chiropractic visits.
• Any document mentioning a lien, letter of protection, assignment, or unpaid balance.
• The address of the office where you received care, even if the phone number no longer works.
• The approximate first and last treatment dates after the accident.

If you are still receiving treatment, continue to follow your providers’ instructions and keep copies of new bills and visit paperwork. If you are unsure whether chiropractic-only treatment creates issues in your claim, you may also find this related article helpful: chiropractic care and accident injury claims.

When Wallace Pierce Law May Be Able to Help

Wallace Pierce Law may be able to help with the practical coordination that often surrounds chiropractic treatment in a North Carolina personal injury claim. That may include preparing a letter of representation, sending a medical authorization, requesting records and itemized bills, following up with a records custodian, and organizing the information for claim review.

The firm may also help identify missing documentation, review whether a provider is claiming an unpaid balance, and communicate with the insurance company about records that support the claim. These steps do not promise any particular outcome, but they can help create a clearer record of treatment, billing, and claim-related communications.

Talk to a Personal Injury Attorney in Durham

If your question involves injuries, insurance, fault, medical documentation, settlement paperwork, or a possible deadline, speaking with a licensed North Carolina attorney can help clarify your options. Call 919-313-2737 to discuss what happened and what steps may make sense next.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information about North Carolina personal injury law based on the single question stated above. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. It is not medical advice, tax advice, or insurance policy interpretation. Laws, procedures, and local practice can change and may vary by county. If there may be a deadline, act promptly and speak with a licensed North Carolina attorney.