January 9, 2012

During a recent three-day sweep of Miami-Dade County clinics, irregularities were discovered among pain clinics that treat auto accident victims, according to Ocala.com.

After finding regulatory violations in almost 90 percent of the pain clinics that treat automobile accident victims, state investigators are considering criminal charges.

Investigators found that many clinic owners had no prior healthcare experience, and that they opened auto crash clinics after learning the clinics could be lucrative.

The report will prompt the state to take action to revoke the licenses of several entities.

PIP, or personal injury protection, was adopted in 1972 by state legislature to make sure anyone injured in an auto accident would quickly get money to treat their injuries.

Schemers have turned Florida into the number one state for staged accidents, especially in Miami and Tampa.

The Insurance Information Institute predicts that such fraud could approach $1 billion in the state this year.  These costs are passed on to customers.

Florida lawmakers have struggled unsuccessfully for years in their attempts to fix PIP. They are now being challenged to find a solution in the state legislative session that begins Tuesday.

Some of the ideas that have been discussed range from providing emergency care only within three days of an accident to doing away with the program entirely.

Read more.

Have you or someone you know been injured in a Florida auto accident?

Tags: auto crash fraud, florida accident lawyer, florida auto accident lawyer, florida car crash lawyer, florida injury lawyer, florida personal injury lawyer, miami-dade