Compensation culture needs to change?
Dated: 2 May 2012
A report published by motoring organisation, the AA, is asking the government to stop talking about the insurance claim system and to enact reforms.
Their report states that, over the past two years, claims for whiplash injury have contributed to the biggest car insurance premium increases ever recorded by the AA’s benchmark British Insurance Premium Index.
It also adds that over the two years ending 31st March, the average Shoparound quote for a comprehensive policy rose by nearly 50%.
The AA are calling for action to reform the activities of claims management companies, which encourages people to make a claim even if they have had no injuries at all.
However, many people who are involved in road accidents do suffer genuine problems and the British Chiropractic Association is also calling for better diagnosis and patient management of these types of accident injury.
As regulated professionals, chiropractors are well placed to provide a diagnosis of musculoskeletal problems arising from car accidents, providing timely and effective patient management. This not only gets patients back to normal as quickly as possible, but can also save on overall treatment costs, thus reducing the overall cost to the insurers.
A recent study* showed that show that chiropractic management of these kinds of injuries could improve pain management and the regaining of movement.
BCA Chiropractor, Matthew Bennett commented, “Chiropractic can be a key tool in the proper diagnosis and patient management for typical minor crash injuries affecting the neck and back. Chiropractors in the UK treat many hundreds of thousands of people each year for neck and back pain, often arising from accident injury. Timely and effective care, such as that provided by chiropractors can not only get the patient back to normal as quickly as possible, but also potentially reduce the number of treatment visits required and, consequently, the overall cost to the insurance industry.”
“Whilst Parliament looks at ways to reduce an escalating burden to the insurance industry, the British Chiropractic Association urges insurance companies to also review all the processes involved with managing accident injury claims, as there are opportunities to greatly improve the situation for them and their customers.”
* A Systematic Review of Chiropractic Management of Whiplash Associated Disorders: Recommendations for Advancing Evidence-Based Practice and Research, Shaw L, Descarreaux M, Bryans R et al, Work 2010; 35: 369-394.