Information for attorneys

FOR ATTORNEYS

Attorneys referring a neck injury client receive complete records, a narrative report, and a causation opinion where the findings support one, built on diagnostic medial branch blocks rather than assertion. Liens and letters of protection are both accepted. What makes a cervical opinion survive cross-examination is whether the diagnosis was tested or assumed.

Why can a real neck injury look normal on an MRI?

Cervical facet joints are the most commonly identified source of chronic post-traumatic neck pain, and they are invisible on imaging. That leaves two ways to reach an opinion. One is to note the mechanism, note the persistent pain, note the unremarkable MRI, and assert the connection. The other is to anesthetize the medial branches supplying a specific joint and record what happens to the pain.

Only the second produces a document that holds up. Single diagnostic blocks carry a well-documented false-positive rate, which is precisely why the finding is confirmed rather than accepted on one result. An opposing expert who knows that literature will ask, and an opinion built on assertion does not survive the question.

What records and reports does the attorney receive?

• Records, complete and legible, with the diagnostic reasoning visible rather than implied.
• A narrative report setting out mechanism, findings, what was tested, what the testing showed, and what was excluded.
• A causation opinion where the findings support one, scoped to the structure actually identified.
• Impairment and work-capacity comment where it is asked for and the record supports it.

What will you not receive from us?

An opinion the testing does not support. If the blocks are negative, the report says the blocks were negative. That costs a case something in the short run and it is the reason the reports that do support causation are worth having.

We also do not route a patient onward to a surgeon as a first move. The diagnosis gets refined first — the exception being a genuine emergency, where care is urgent and immediate. The findings that qualify.

Do you accept medical liens and letters of protection?

Both accepted. The statutory right and the letter do different jobs and this practice uses them together — see medical liens and letters of protection. Missouri work injuries are carved out of the lien statute and run differently; that is set out here.

The bill is for services rendered and your client remains responsible for it regardless of outcome. We tell them that at the first appointment, in those words, so it is never a surprise at disbursement.

How do I request my client’s medical records?

Send the signed authorization with the request. A letter warning that a subpoena will follow is not a substitute for a release, and it does not accelerate anything — the release is the thing that lets us respond at all. With one attached, requests are handled promptly and without a chase.

What is useful to send with a referral

• The mechanism, in a sentence or two, including vehicle positions or the lifting task.
• Prior imaging, on a disc or with portal access rather than the report alone.
• Any prior cervical treatment and what each intervention did, including partial responses.
• Which state the injury occurred in.

Clinicians referring a patient will find the same reasoning set out for them on information for referring physicians.

Frequently asked questions

Is my client responsible for the bill if the case is lost?

Yes. The bill is for services rendered, and your client remains responsible for it regardless of how the case ends. We tell every client that at the first appointment, in those words, so it is never a surprise at disbursement. Missouri work injuries are carved out of the lien statute and run differently; that process is set out here.

Does one diagnostic block prove where the neck pain comes from?

No. A single diagnostic block carries a well-documented false-positive rate, so the finding is confirmed rather than accepted on one result. The block numbs the medial branches that supply one specific facet joint, and the change in pain is recorded. An opposing expert who knows that literature will ask about confirmation, and an opinion built on one block or on assertion does not survive the question.

Do you send neck injury clients straight to a surgeon?

No. We do not route a client onward to a surgeon as a first move. The diagnosis gets refined first, with the pain source tested by diagnostic blocks rather than assumed from a normal scan. The exception is a genuine emergency, where care is urgent and immediate. The findings that count as an emergency are listed separately.