Pain doctors for lien cases in Illinois

Who regulates care in Illinois

• Physician licenses: Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR)
• Work injuries: Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission
• Medicaid program: Illinois Medicaid (HFS)

Treatment on a lien or letter of protection in Illinois

Lien and letter-of-protection rules are set by each state, and Illinois's rules differ from California's. Ask the provider and your attorney which arrangement they use in Illinois and what you would owe if the case does not settle.

A medical lien (or letter of protection) lets an injured client get treatment now while the provider waits to be paid from the settlement. The attorney signs the lien, the provider bills at its stated rates, and the lien is negotiated and paid when the case resolves. If the case loses, the client may still owe the bill, so read the lien terms.

• Call the office and confirm three things: they accept liens, they will see this injury type, and the wait for a first visit.
• Send the signed lien, accident date, imaging and prior treatment notes before the first visit.
• Ask how reports are delivered and how fast records go out for demand packages.
• Ask whether procedures happen in-office or at a surgery center that also accepts liens.

Choosing a pain doctor in Chicago

• Check the license with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). Physicians can also be looked up on DocInfo.org.
• Ask whether the doctor is board certified in pain medicine (through anesthesiology, PM&R or neurology).
• Ask which procedures are done in the office and which at a surgery center, and who reads your imaging.
• Bring a list of medicines, prior imaging (MRI, X-ray) and the dates your pain started or changed.