Unpaid Bill and NJ Medical Fee Schedule for Bills

Unpaid Bill and NJ Medical Fee Schedule for Bills

Information to Doctors and Medical Facilities that Provide Treatment to Personal Injury Victims
We attempt to make efforts to cooperate with treatment providers so they can get paid their interests. However, since this is an automobile/personal injury case, both the medical office and my office are bound by NJSA 39:6A-4.6. This sets forth medical fee schedules. Under this law which became effective on October 5, 1991, the Commissioner of Insurance shall establish medical fee schedules on a regional basis for the reimbursement of health care providers providing services and equipment for medical expense benefits for which payment is to be made by an automobile insured under personal injury coverage.

The Statute also provides that no health care provider may demand or request any payment from any person in excess of those permitted by the Medical Fee Schedule established pursuant to the section, nor should any person be liable to any health care provider for any amount of money which results in the charging of fees in excess of those permitted by the Medical Fee Schedule established pursuant to the section.

There is a possibility that a portion of a bill was unpaid because the charges are in excess of those permitted by the Medical Fee Schedule established by the Commissioner of Insurance. We recommend doctors and treatment facilities kindly recheck your figures and respond in writing. If you are not in possession of a Medical Fee Schedule or have questions on overbilling penalties, you should immediately contact the NJ Commissioner of Insurance. The general information telephone number is 609-984-3602 x50023.

Care paths in Car Accident Cases Starting in 1999, all medical providers must follow "care paths" and most non emergency treatment approved by the car insurance company. Please make sure all treatment and bills are pre-approved by the car insurance company. The treating doctor should also contact the car insurance company prior to MRI or extensive treatment.

Medical Provider Should Also Submit Bills to Major Medical and to Patient If you do not keep your patient and our office informed in writing of unpaid medical bills, we will be unable to put the defendant's attorney on notice when attempting to resolve a case. The medical provider must first submit the unpaid bills to the patient's car insurance carrier (PIP carrier), and/or any Blue Cross/Blue Shield or other related medical provider, and fill out any documents required by the insurance company.

Deductibles Under the New Jersey No Fault Act, car insurance companies are supposed to make timely payment of medical bills for the driver and passengers injured in their cars or other non-commercial vehicles. Please let your patients know there are now minimum deductibles under the PIP Law. There is an initial $250.00 deductible, and thereafter the car insurance company pays 80% of medical bills under a medical fee schedule established by the State Dept. of Insurance.

21 Day Notification to PIP A new State Law signed in January, 1996 requires automobile insurers to be notified by the claimant or medical provider in writing within 21 days following commencement of treatment of injuries sustained in an accident for which personal injury protection medical expense benefits are claimed. In addition, under this new law P.L. 1995, c 407, every bill for such treatment shall be submitted to the insurer, if submitted by the medical provider, within 30 days of the date that treatment was rendered.

Unfortunately, many insurance companies today delay payment or fail to pay medical bills. If payment is refused or not received, suit or Arbitration can be filed in order to compel car insurance companies to pay their share of medical bills. The filing fee of a Superior Court suit is $175.00. The Filing Fee for AAA Arbitration with an oral hearing is $325.00. Ordinarily, this is paid by the medical provider or patient. We will represent doctors or patients in PIP suits or Arbitration. We will not pay these filing fees. Based on the recent changes in New Jersey laws, we no longer sign form letters of protection. We ask doctors to send us copies of all medical bills and insurance attending physician reports you have not previously provided to us.

We will be contacted by the defendant's insurance company in an attempt to resolve your patient's personal injury case. The defendant's insurance company will request information as to the total amount of bills and whether or not there are any amounts that are unpaid. In New Jersey, under the "Collateral Source Rule," a defendant driver is not responsible for unpaid medical bills unless the plaintiff and the doctor have first submitted the bills to all available medical insurance. In car accident cases, this is both the car insurance company (PIP) and also major medical. Medical providers should fill out the bottom of this form and fax it back to our office. In addition to the below information, it would be helpful to our office if you could also fax or mail us a copy of the bill.

Total unpaid bill: _________________________________

Total bill: _________________________________

When last bill was sent to PIP/car insurance company: _________________________________

When bill was last submitted to major medical: _________________________________

When was last bill sent to patient: _________________________________





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Since 1985, KENNETH VERCAMMEN has worked as a personal injury attorney, working for injury victims and their families. By taking a hard-hitting, aggressive approach toward the insurance companies, KENNETH VERCAMMEN and our co-counsel have consistently obtained outstanding results for many injured clients over the years I am proud to have worked on cases in various capacities, small and large. While obviously prior results cannot guarantee the outcome of future cases, I can guarantee that you case will receive the same degree of dedication and hard work that went into each of these prior cases.

In direct contrast to the hard-hitting approach we take toward the insurance companies is the “soft” approach we take toward our clients. I am proud of my compassionate staff as I am of the outstanding financial results they have achieved. For many years, I have watched them treat our clients with patience, dignity and respect. I would have it no other way.

Many years ago, I attended a seminar sponsored by the American Bar Association on Law Practice Management. This was to help insure that each of our clients is always treated like a person -- not a file! We recognize that you are innocent victims and that you have placed your trust in us. Please understand that we understand what you are going through. Feel comforted that we are here to help you.

If you retain KENNETH VERCAMMEN to represent you, we will give you the same advice we give each of our clients -- concentrate on your life, you family and your health. We will take care of everything else. Leave all of the work and worry about your legal rights to us. Trust us. Believe in us. Have faith in us as your attorneys. Understand that we will always to do what we believe is best for you and your case. Helping you is our job. In fact, it is our only job -- guiding injury victims like you through one of the most difficult times of your lives, with care and concern -- while fighting aggressively to the limits of the law to obtain compensation and justice for each of you!

Print our Personal Injury Questionnaire on our Website, Fill it out and Fax back, so we can determine if we can help you obtain an injury settlement. We would welcome an opportunity to prove to you what we have proven to thousands of injured clients -- that you can feel comfortable and secure in the fact that KENNETH VERCAMMEN - Trial Attorney We Fight To Win.

When you have been injured in an accident or collision, you are worried about who is going to pay your medical bills, lost wages, and other damages. The last thing you want is to be taken advantage of by an insurance company. If you don’t protect your rights, you may not be able to make a claim.

Insurance companies have attorneys and adjusters whose goal is to pay you as little as they can. You need a New Jersey personal injury lawyer to fight for you. I am dedicated to helping your recover as much money as possible under the law.

You need an attorney who will work hard to protect your rights, maximize your insurance settlement and minimize the hassles of dealing with the insurance companies. You need an experienced and aggressive New Jersey trial lawyer with PROVEN RESULTS who will fight for you. Having an experienced Oregon personal injury lawyer can make the difference between getting what you deserve and getting nothing.

Without the threat of a lawyer who is willing to go to trial and seek a big jury verdict, why would an insurance company pay you what your claim is really worth? Lawsuits can be expensive, and many people do not have the money to pursue their claim. In every case, I advance all costs associated with pursuing your case and I do not ask you for a penny until we recover from the other side.

I am an experienced aggressive trial lawyer and a 3rd degree Black Belt. I am not afraid to take your case to trial if that is what it takes to maximize the amount of money your recover for your personal injury. I offer one-on-one service, and I will not hand your case off to an inexperienced lawyer or a paralegal.

Reduce the stress of making a claim.

Personal injury accidents can turn your life upside down. Making a personal injury claim can be difficult and time consuming. Once I take your case, you can stop worrying about dealing with the insurance companies and focus on recovering from your injuries. I take care of all of the paperwork, phone calls, and negotiations, so you can get on with your life.

p.s. For those clients who are afraid or reluctant to go to Court, KENNETH VERCAMMEN also offers a special -- “For Settlement Only” -- program. This means that if we are unable to settle with the insurance company, we will not go any further -- unless you want us to. You have my personal assurance that there will be absolutely no pressure and no obligation.

We handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis.

This means:
YOU DON’T OWE ME A LEGAL FEE UNLESS I RECOVER MONEY FOR YOU.

Call our office to schedule a "confidential" appointment 732-572-0500

Kenneth A. Vercammen is the Managing Attorney at Kenneth Vercammen & Associates in Edison, NJ. He is a New Jersey trial attorney has devoted a substantial portion of his professional time to the preparation and trial of litigated matters. He has appears in Courts throughout New Jersey each week on personal injury matters, Criminal /Municipal Court trials, and contested Probate hearings.

Mr. Vercammen has published over 125 legal articles in national and New Jersey publications on criminal, elder law, probate and litigation topics. He is a highly regarded lecturer on litigation issues for the American Bar Association, NJ ICLE, New Jersey State Bar Association and Middlesex County Bar Association. His articles have been published in noted publications included New Jersey Law Journal, ABA Law Practice Management Magazine, and New Jersey Lawyer. He is the Editor in Chief of the American Bar Association Tort and Insurance Committee Newsletter.

Admitted In NJ, NY, PA, US Supreme Court and Federal District Court.

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