If you are a survivor of a car crash and need rehabilitation treatment, you inevitably, will undergo multiple insurance assessments with the assessors hired by your insurance company. These assessments are routinely requested by the mva injuries insurance company with the assessors of their choice (often the same doctors) to determine whether the insurance company can refuse to pay for your treatment because in their opinion the treatment recommended by your treating doctor is not “necessary”.
The complaints about such doctors should be released to the public under the new Transparency Principles that are being developed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. The Ontario Trial Lawyers Association, of which Natalie Clarke is a member, had submitted a very important feedback document to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario on their “Draft Transparency Principles”. One key issue that OTLA raised was related to those Insurer Examinations under the Insurance Act and its regulation, the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule.
Throughout the years, claimants voiced concerns about the conduct of insurance doctors in their assessments and preparation of their reports. In addition to the incidents of unqualified medical practitioners carrying out insurer medical assessments, there is a widespread perception that reports are often biased and that these assessors operate without fear of professional sanction in an environment that lacks transparency and accountability. OTLA’s submission requesting that more information about such doctors be publicly available, is a positive step in furthering transparency in the realm of insurance assessments.