What should I do if the other driver's insurance company is trying to collect my medical bills and records?

Why Is the Other Driver’s Insurer Asking for Medical Information?

The liability insurer usually requests medical records and bills to evaluate whether your injuries were caused by the car accident, what care you received, and what expenses you are claiming. Records may document symptoms, diagnoses, visit dates, provider observations, and the connection between the collision and your condition. Itemized bills show the services and charges associated with that care.

This does not mean the insurer should automatically receive your entire medical history. It does mean that a person making an injury claim generally needs reliable documentation to support the claimed injuries and losses. Refusing to provide any relevant information may prevent the insurer from meaningfully evaluating the claim.

North Carolina also protects confidential medical information. Under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 8-53, confidential medical records generally are furnished with the patient’s authorization, although a court may compel disclosure when legally appropriate. Before a lawsuit, the practical issue is often how to provide relevant documentation without granting unnecessary access to unrelated records.

Review the Authorization Before You Sign It

An insurance adjuster may send a medical authorization that permits the company or a records vendor to request documents directly from health care providers. Read the entire form. A broad authorization could cover years of records, numerous providers, unrelated conditions, prescription histories, mental health information, or future records obtained while the authorization remains active.

Check whether the form clearly identifies:

• The providers or facilities allowed to release information.
• The beginning and ending dates for the requested records.
• The categories of information covered by the request.
• The person or company authorized to receive the information.
• The purpose of the disclosure.
• When the authorization expires and whether it may be revoked.

Prior records can sometimes be relevant when an insurer is investigating whether an accident caused a new condition or aggravated an earlier one. That does not make every record from every provider relevant. The proper scope depends on the claimed injuries, prior medical history, and issues disputed in the claim.

Practical Ways to Respond to the Request

You do not have to choose between giving the insurer unrestricted access and providing nothing. Depending on the circumstances, practical options may include supplying copies yourself, asking providers to send records for a defined period, or using a limited authorization tied to particular providers and conditions.

1. Ask for the request in writing. Save the letter, email, authorization, claim number, adjuster’s name, and any stated deadline.
2. Identify what the insurer wants. Ask whether it seeks treatment records, diagnostic reports, itemized bills, payment information, prior records, or all of these materials.
3. Compare the request with the injuries being claimed. Records related to hip symptoms and accident-related anxiety may be relevant, while unrelated records require a separate relevance analysis.
4. Keep a copy of everything provided. Maintain a dated list of the records, bills, and authorizations sent to the insurer.
5. Correct errors through appropriate documentation. If a bill has the wrong date or a record appears incomplete, contact the provider rather than altering the document yourself.
6. Be accurate and consistent. Do not hide prior injuries or treatment. An insurer may use inconsistencies to dispute whether the collision caused the current condition.

Be Careful When Treatment Is Ongoing and Settlement Is Mentioned

A settlement discussion and a medical-record request are related but separate issues. Providing records does not necessarily mean you have accepted a settlement. Likewise, an adjuster mentioning a possible settlement does not by itself explain the amount, terms, liens, or release language that may follow.

If symptoms continue and you intend to seek further care, the available documentation may not yet show the full course of the condition or all related expenses. Keep your records current and follow the instructions of your medical providers. Do not sign settlement paperwork without understanding whether it releases all injury claims arising from the accident. A signed release commonly ends the ability to seek additional payment from the released parties, even if symptoms continue or additional bills arrive.

Ask the adjuster to put any offer and proposed release in writing. Save every version. Do not rely only on a telephone summary of the settlement terms.

Documents to Gather for a Durham Car Accident Claim

Organizing the claim file can help you respond accurately without giving the insurer unnecessary access. Consider preserving:

• Medical visit summaries and records related to the accident.
• Itemized medical bills, not only account balances.
• Health insurance explanations of benefits.
• Receipts for accident-related out-of-pocket expenses.
• Written referrals, work notes, and provider restrictions, if any.
• A list of providers seen before and after the collision.
• Letters, emails, authorizations, and text messages from the adjuster.
• Any written settlement offer or proposed release.
• The collision report, photographs, and witness information.

Medical bills and records serve different purposes, so collect both when possible. A bill may identify the charge but say little about the symptoms or reason for the service. A medical record may describe the visit but omit the complete billing details.

How This Applies to Ongoing Hip Pain and Anxiety

Where a person reports continuing hip pain and anxiety after a crash and plans to seek further treatment, the insurer will likely examine whether the records connect those complaints to the collision. It may also look for gaps in care, earlier similar complaints, or other possible causes. Complete records from the relevant providers, accurate symptom histories, and itemized bills can help present the medical timeline clearly.

Because further care is anticipated, it may be too early to know whether the present records are complete. The person should preserve the insurer’s request, review the scope of any authorization, and obtain the proposed settlement terms in writing. The fact that no offer was accepted or rejected should also be documented through saved correspondence and notes of conversations.

Do Not Let Record Discussions Hide the Filing Deadline

Collecting records and negotiating with an insurance company do not automatically extend the time to file a lawsuit. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-52 provides a three-year period for many North Carolina personal injury actions, although the correct deadline depends on the facts and claim type. An insurer may continue requesting information or discussing settlement as a deadline approaches, so the date should be evaluated independently.