Is the bad debt due to the patient not paying their copayments and/or deductibles or the insurance company not paying anything? Did the insurance flat out deny the claim? Has your biller talked to the insurance company reps? Or is this solely based on EOB's?
Personal injury can be frustrating b/c the claims don't pay for a long time. However we always end up getting paid eventually, but not until the case is closed. I have some personal injury claims that were open 3-5 years. Once they settled in court we got paid. Sure it's frustrating to see the unpaid amounts going up and up, I completely understand. But we get paid.
You are stuck for tomorrow, no doubt. Not wise to refuse to see the patient. In the future you might consider a policy whereby you don't do personal injury claims. Perhaps you refer all these cases to a colleague who doesn't mind dealing w/ the lawyers.
When sending patients to collections, it is wise to include with the standardized letter that says "your unpaid balance is being sent to collections" something to the effect that "we will not provide medical care on your behalf until the unpaid balances are settled." This closes to the door to the scenario which you are facing tomorrow....bad debt coming back for free care.
