Where to place a client for treatment in North Broward: 1 doctor, 1 coordinator, 30 years of PIP.

A personal injury chiropractor for attorney referrals is judged on four things: whether the client is seen inside the 14-day window, whether the examination is done by the doctor and documented properly, whether the emergency medical condition question is handled without overreach, and whether the records arrive in a form the demand letter can use. This office is set up around exactly those four.

The examination is the doctor's

Dr. McNamara-Krauss performs every examination: history of the crash and its mechanism, orthopedic and neurological testing, range-of-motion measurements, palpation, and a decision on imaging. Findings are entered the same day. Treatment begins the same visit and is chosen from the findings, not from a package, which is visible in the notes because the modalities change as the client's presentation changes.

What is in the building

Chiropractic adjustments, spinal decompression on the Antalgic-Trac system, Class IV laser therapy on the LightForce system, shockwave therapy on a Chattanooga system for extremity and soft-tissue injuries, therapeutic ultrasound, electrical stimulation, massage therapy with Dawn Marie Teufel, LMT, nutritional counseling, and imaging and specialist referrals. Nine treatments at one address means one provider, one set of records and one signature.

The emergency medical condition

This office does not make EMC determinations and will not sign one. When the examination shows findings that warrant the determination, the client is referred to an MD, DO, PA or APRN, the referral is documented, and the outcome is placed in the file. The PIP and EMC page lays out the workflow and the statute.

The records

Initial examination report, a note on every encounter, work-status documentation, imaging referrals and their reports, the EMC referral, progress re-examinations and a discharge summary, with narrative reports written on request. Everything lives in a proprietary case documentation system built in consultation with personal injury attorneys, and it is sent as one PDF from one contact. The documentation page lists the contents of a file.

The coordinator

Janelle Deal has 30 years of experience in Florida PIP claims. She takes the referral, checks the date of loss against the 14-day window, schedules the examination, confirms it to your office, handles the PIP paperwork with the carrier, fields records requests and sends status updates. She speaks Spanish, as does Elizabeth Celestin, APRN. Your paralegal has one number and one name.

Geography

The office is on US-1 between Copans Road and Sample Road in Lighthouse Point, five to ten minutes from Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach, Hillsboro Beach and Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, fifteen to twenty from Fort Lauderdale, Coconut Creek and Coral Springs, and fifteen to twenty-five from Boca Raton, Highland Beach and Delray Beach across the county line. Saturday appointments are available by request and the phone is answered 24/7, so a client who calls your office on a Friday night can be booked before Monday.