Can My PA Personal Injury Lawyer Refer Me to a Doctor?
Attorney Doctor Referrals in Pennsylvania Personal Injury Cases
This is a question that comes up frequently, and it touches on some nuanced issues involving legal ethics and medical economics. The short answer is that a Pennsylvania personal injury attorney can provide you with general information about types of providers who handle accident-related injuries, but a direct referral arrangement — where an attorney sends clients to specific doctors in exchange for any form of compensation or reciprocal referral — raises serious ethical concerns under Pennsylvania’s Rules of Professional Conduct.
What Pennsylvania Ethics Rules Say
Pennsylvania’s Rules of Professional Conduct prohibit attorneys from entering into arrangements that give third parties — including medical providers — the ability to influence or control the attorney’s independent professional judgment. A formal referral relationship between an attorney and a specific medical provider, particularly one involving compensation or reciprocal business, could implicate rules against improper fee-splitting and conflicts of interest.
Additionally, Pennsylvania bar guidance has addressed situations where attorneys steer clients to particular physicians who then provide treatment on a lien basis — where the medical bill is paid from the settlement. While treating on lien is a legitimate arrangement, care must be taken that the referral is made in the client’s genuine medical interest, not the attorney’s financial interest.
What Your Attorney Can Do
Your Pennsylvania personal injury attorney can and should:
- Advise you to seek prompt medical attention for all your injuries
- Explain the types of specialists — orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, physical therapists — typically involved in treating accident injuries
- Help you understand how to document your treatment for purposes of your claim
- Advise you not to miss or delay treatment, as gaps in care can be used by the insurance company to argue your injuries were not serious
The Most Important Thing: Get Medical Care
Regardless of how you find your treating physician, seeking prompt, consistent, and well-documented medical care is essential to both your health and your legal claim. The attorneys at Purchase, George & Murphey, P.C. are committed to helping Erie accident victims understand their rights. Contact us for a free consultation.
