5 Tips for Retrieving Records for Car Accidents

Records for Car Accident Litigation

Car accidents happen far more often than we would like them to, and retrieving all the necessary records to help someone’s case is a must. This is why following the right steps and knowing what to look for when retrieving client’s medical records due to car accidents is extremely important.

Retrieving Records for Car Accidents

There are always important rules and guidelines to follow when retrieving medical records. When retrieving records due to a car accident there are a few extra steps to follow in order to get all of the information you need to build your case

Here are 5 main tips to follow and things to look for when retrieving records due to car accidents:

  1. Efficiency:

Car accidents are no joke, and neither are the injuries that may come along with them. Retrieving records in a fast and efficient way is a MUST during this process. Getting the records that are needed quickly will help build a client’s case in a timely manner with all the correct information that is necessary.

  1. Correct Confirmation:

In order to save some time and money during this process it is important to know where the records should be requested from. By doing this, it ensures that the records are being requested from the right office, as well as requesting those records from the right person. At times it can be tricky to determine how to properly serve the request due to high volume, and this leads to the records not being obtained as quickly. This is just one example on why using a record retrieval vendor can be a HUGE advantage because they help figure out all you need to know.

  1. Emergency Room Visits:

Something that is VERY important to keep in mind when retrieving medical records due to a car accident is that the ER bill and the hospital bill are separate bills. If a client went to the ER that you must get the records from the ER. It is commonly seen that the ER billing is forgotten when collecting records for a client’s case. The ER bill is extremely important because in the end it can help tremendously when it comes to the claim so that the client can get ALL of their bills paid for due to the accident.

  1. Know What You Need – Different Types of Records:

To get all the records that are necessary make sure records are gathered from ALL doctor visits. It is important to have a client’s records from an Urgent Care, Emergency Rooms, Primary Care Physician, as well as any tests that were done during these visits. If a client had to get an X-ray, CT scan, or an MRI done then those tests will be sent out to get a more detailed report, and this is a necessary bill that is needed for the case. If the client needed Physical Therapy, Chiropractic Care, or any other health care specialist visits that is also important to have records of. Claims records that are from prior accidents are needed, as well as prescription records to help show any medications that were provided.

  1. Driving Records:

Driving records can sometimes help or hurt the case, but they are still important to have on file. These files will help to see any previous driving records for both parties, such as seeing what their driving record looks like or if they have been hurt before in any previous motor vehicle accidents. Although, a poor driving record can’t always be used as evidence that the driver was driving carelessly at the time, but in some cases it can help bring more light to the surface and help the case.

This piece originally appeared on RecordTrak.com on January 17, 2020.

Magna Legal Services made industry news in January with the acquisition of RecordTrak, the most respected record retrieval firm based in the US. Collectively, our clients can now tap into 40 plus years of experience with exclusive access to RecordTrak‘s proprietary collection portal.

Record retrieval for insurance companies has some unique and specialized processes. RecordTrak’s online and invoicing systems accommodate these needs. Whether associated with multi-party record access, third party or e-billing, we’ve been there, done that. We work with you to customize the on-boarding protocols for your counsel so you’re in control.

For more information, email Magna Legal Services directly at [email protected], or contact Peter Hecht or your local account manager at 866.624.6221.

Magna Offices Re-Opening with Covid Precautions


We are excited to announce that although we have been able to seamlessly transition to 100% virtual platforms for our end-to-end litigation services, we are beginning to reopen our offices across the United States in accordance with local and federal orders.

In accordance with local and federal guidelines, the following main Magna offices will be reopening on the following dates:

1635 Market St, 8th/9th Floors
Philadelphia, PA 19103
June 8th

651 Allendale Rd
King of Prussia, PA 19406
June 8th

320 W. 37th St, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10018
June 15th

190 South LaSalle St, Ste. 1220
Chicago, IL 60603
June 15th

633 West Fifth St, 28th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90071
June 1st

130 Webster St, Ste. 100
Oakland, CA 94607
June 1st

110 SE 6th St, Ste. 1450
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Open Now

700 Milam St, Ste. 1300
Houston, TX 77002
Open Now

COVID PRECAUTIONS

In order to follow the sanitizing procedures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), we are taking the following precautions:

  • Magna will the maintain minimum necessary staff in each office to further prevent the spread of COVID-19. Any staff member who is not essential to office operations will continue to work from home.
  • A Magna staff member will be placed at each entrance with a thermometer to test all visitors. Any visitor or staff member exhibiting COVID-19 like symptoms will be barred from entering Magna offices.
  • All visitors and Magna staff must wear masks.
  • All visitors and Magna staff are required to take appropriate measures to wash and sanitize their hands. Magna offices will be outfitted with numerous motion-detected hand sanitizers.
  • All Magna conference rooms will be equipped with sanitizing wipes for easy visitor use.
  • All visitors and staff are required to maintain six feet of social distancing at all times.
  • Magna will also be providing glass dividers in every conference room to lessen the spread of any germs between attendees of depositions.
  • Beverage service such as coffee and soda will continue, as well as “grab and go” food items which are individually wrapped. Magna will not be providing the usual breakfast and lunch service during this time.
  • All conference rooms will be sanitized following the conclusion of every deposition.
  • Additional cleaning at Magna offices will be provided throughout the day with a deep clean nightly by a professional cleaning service.

VIRTUAL DEPOSITIONS

All of our virtual depositions are still available via Magna Legal Vision (MLV). To schedule, click here or contact our scheduling department at [email protected].

Complex Medical Records, Made Simple

Medical Record Review + Litigation Support

With services like Nurse Review & HyperNav Records Navigator, Magna transforms complex medical records into useful, easy-to-work-with information, so you can focus on building a winning case.

Nurse Review

Our nurses will give you the litigation support and medical insight that you need to build your case. With a Nurse Review from Magna, you’ll receive your medical records with a summary, chronologically organized and prepared by a medical professional.

A Nurse Review will walk through the facts as they occurred, highlighting the key information and giving you an informed interpretation of the medical story at hand. Then, Magna’s Record Retrieval Portal will allow you to quickly and easily navigate through your documents.

Our experts will analyze all the medical records and get to the bottom of a difficult case efficiently and effectively. The Registered Nurses in our network have extensive experience with all medical specialties.

HyperNav Records Navigator

Your time is valuable. HyperNav Records Navigator makes record review quick & effortless:

  • Summary & Index tables provide all key information in one place
  • Everything chronologically organized
  • No more searching: Receive one PDF file with hyperlinks and bookmarks throughout
  • Seamless navigation: Each occurrence of key terms and provider/facility names are hyperlinked in the index table and highlighted throughout the PDF
  • Input new records anytime they come in discovery

CHRONOLOGY
All documents, summary table and index table are sorted by dates of service for easy navigation and a clear picture of the medical story at hand.

SUMMARY
The Summary Table at the beginning of the document includes the dates of service, a list of all clinical/diagnosis codes and key terms found, as well as a list of all the facilities/providers discovered.
Here, you will also find the CMS definitions for all referenced clinical/diagnosis codes and the National Provider Identifiers (NPI) for provider names.

INDEXING
With data indexing, you’ll find all key information in one place. HyperNav will extract the below values from your documents, organize them in an Index Table, and highlight each occurrence throughout the PDF.

  • Dates of Service
  • Facilities/Providers
  • Key Terms
  • Clinical/diagnosis codes

NAVIGATION: BOOKMARKING & HYPERLINKING
The HyperNav output combines everything into a single PDF file, with interactive hyperlinks and bookmarks throughout for quick and easy navigation.

No more scrolling:

  • Summary Table, Index Table and all individual documents are bookmarked
  • Page numbers and each key term occurrence are hyperlinked in the summary and index tables to bring you their respective locations
  • Return back to the Index Table at anytime with the link included in each page header

Record Retrieval & Discovery Support Services with Magna

Magna Legal Services made industry news in January with the acquisition of RecordTrak, the most respected record retrieval firm based in the US. Collectively, our clients can now tap into 40 plus years of experience with exclusive access to RecordTrak‘s proprietary collection portal.

For more information, email Magna Legal Services directly at [email protected], or contact Peter Hecht or your local account manager at 866.624.6221.

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