Florida's new personal injury protection (PIP) law goes into effect January 1, 2013. The new law will require that accident victims seek treatment within fourteen days after their accident or loose their right to collect pip benefits. In addition, if you are not diagnosed with an emergency medical condition, the new law will limit the pip benefits to $2,500.00. Under the new law PIP will not pay for acupuncture or massage thereapy.
Below is a brief history of PIP in Florida and a summary of the new law that goes into effect today.
The personal injury protection (PIP) law was adopted in 1972 to make sure anyone injured in an auto accident would quickly get money to treat their injuries. The legislation provided that a driver’s insurance company pay up to $10,000 to cover medical bills and lost wages after an accident, no matter who is at fault.
Recently the legislature under the urging of Rick Scott and the insurance industry pushed for changes to the PIP law. Here are some highlights of the new law:
"Emergency medical condition" means a medical condition manifesting itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity, which may include severe pain, such that the absence of immediate medical attention could reasonably be expected to result in any of the following:
(a) Serious jeopardy to patient health.
(b) Serious impairment to bodily functions.
(c) Serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part.
"Entity wholly owned" means a proprietorship, group practice, partnership, or corporation that provides health care services rendered by licensed health care practitioners and in which licensed health care practitioners are the business owners of all aspects of the business entity, including, but not limited to, being reflected as the business owners on the title or lease of the physical facility, filing taxes as the business owners, being account holders on the entity's bank account, being listed as the principals on all incorporation documents required by this state, and having ultimate authority over all personnel and compensation decisions relating to the entity. However, this definition does not apply to an entity that is wholly owned, directly or indirectly, by a hospital licensed under chapter 395.
REQUIRED BENEFITS. An insurance policy complying with the security requirements of s. 627.733 must provide personal injury protection to the named insured, relatives residing in the same household, persons operating the insured motor vehicle, passengers in the motor vehicle, and other persons struck by the motor vehicle and suffering bodily injury while not an occupant of a self-propelled vehicle, subject to subsection (2) and paragraph (4)(e), to a limit of $10,000 in medical and disability benefits and $5,000 in death benefits resulting from bodily injury, sickness, disease, or death arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or use of a motor vehicle as follows:
(a) Medical benefits.—Eighty percent of all reasonable expenses for medically necessary medical, surgical, X-ray, dental, and rehabilitative services, including prosthetic devices, and medically necessary ambulance, hospital, and nursing services if the individual receives initial services and care pursuant to subparagraph 1. within 14 days after the motor vehicle accident. The medical benefits provide reimbursement only for:
1. Initial services and care that are lawfully provided, supervised, ordered, or prescribed by a physician licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459, a dentist licensed under chapter 466, or a chiropractic physician licensed under chapter 460 or that are provided in a hospital or in a facility that owns, or is wholly owned by, a hospital. Initial services and care may also be provided by a person or entity licensed under part III of chapter 401 which provides emergency transportation and treatment.
2. Upon referral by a provider described in subparagraph 1., followup services and care consistent with the underlying medical diagnosis rendered pursuant to subparagraph 1. which may be provided, supervised, ordered, or prescribed only by a physician licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459, a chiropractic physician licensed under chapter 460, a dentist licensed under chapter 466, or, to the extent permitted by applicable law and under the supervision of such physician, osteopathic physician, chiropractic physician, or dentist, by a physician assistant licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459 or an advanced registered nurse practitioner licensed under chapter 464. Followup services and care may also be provided by any of the following persons or entities:
a. A hospital or ambulatory surgical center licensed under chapter 395.
b. An entity wholly owned by one or more physicians licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459, chiropractic physicians licensed under chapter 460, or dentists licensed under chapter 466 or by such practitioners and the spouse, parent, child, or sibling of such practitioners.
c. An entity that owns or is wholly owned, directly or indirectly, by a hospital or hospitals.
d. A physical therapist licensed under chapter 486, based upon a referral by a provider described in subparagraph 2.
e. A health care clinic licensed under part X of chapter 400 which is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the American Osteopathic Association, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, or the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, Inc., or (I) Has a medical director licensed under chapter 458, chapter 459, or chapter 460; (II) Has been continuously licensed for more than 3 years or is a publicly traded corporation that issues securities traded on an exchange registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission as a national securities exchange; and
(III) Provides at least four of the following medical specialties:
(A) General medicine.
(B) Radiography.
(C) Orthopedic medicine.
(D) Physical medicine.
(E) Physical therapy.
(F) Physical rehabilitation.
(G) Prescribing or dispensing outpatient prescription medication.
(H) Laboratory services.
3. Reimbursement for services and care provided in subparagraph 1. or subparagraph 2. up to $10,000 if a physician licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459, a dentist licensed under chapter 466, a physician assistant licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459, or an advanced registered nurse practitioner licensed under chapter 464 has determined that the injured person had an emergency medical condition.
4. Reimbursement for services and care provided in subparagraph 1. or subparagraph 2. is limited to $2,500 if any provider listed in subparagraph 1. or subparagraph 2. determines that the injured person did not have an emergency medical condition.
5. Medical benefits do not include massage as defined in s. 480.033 or acupuncture as defined in s. 457.102, regardless of the person, entity, or licensee providing massage or acupuncture, and a licensed massage therapist or licensed acupuncturist may not be reimbursed for medical benefits under this section.
For more information or for a free consultation, contact Scott and Fenderson, PA Injury and Family Law Attorneys, by calling 727-321-0099 or view our web site www.scottandfenderson.com
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Posted by: http://www.venaproscam.org/venapro-reviews/ | January 02, 2013 at 05:42 AM
Thank you for this post. You have stated every detail of the law that has been changed regarding on the law on personal injury protection. A lot of people who are having problems with their injury protection will definitely benefit on this post.
Posted by: More Info... | February 20, 2013 at 03:37 AM
Thank you for the very clear explanation of what is unmistakenly a cash grab by our friends in the legally required gambling business (insurance). I don't play the stock market and don't want to play this game but the law requires me to. The politicians of both political persuasions are in tight with these people. The voters will do well to remember every one of these next election.
Posted by: Jethro T. | February 25, 2013 at 09:34 PM