TORONTO—Auto insurance rates have inched down a notch in Ontario, though the Liberal government is still far from its self-imposed target of an average 15-per-cent reduction.
https://www.thestar.com/busine
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Ontario auto insurance rates decrease slightly
After an Auto Accident: Understanding the Claims Process
When you are involved in an auto accident involving injury or property damage, you need to report it to your insurance agent, broker, or insurance company within seven days, regardless of who is at fault.
http://www.fsco.gov.on.ca/en/a
Psychological Tips to Win Over Your Clients, Juries, and Judges
Effectively persuading a potential new client, a jury, or an interviewer – and being able to do it time and again – requires a solid understanding of how people make decisions. Persuasion traditionally relies on three techniques, namely: to speak the truth (logos), be credible (ethos), and move your audience emotionally (pathos). Unconscious (cognitive) biases can interfere with or bolster these techniques. With the right tools, your clients will be more likely to listen to you, take your recommendations, and refer you to more clients. This in turn will help make your practice more pleasurable and reduce your claims risk. Use these eight tips to make unconscious biases work for you.
http://www.slaw.ca/2017/01/16/
PTSD: Beyond Trauma this Thursday on CBC
(January 16, 2017 – Toronto, ON) The facts are going to surprise you. Mention PTSD in almost any conversation and the immediate thought, the immediate image that will form in your brain is that of military men and women all too often in the news and all too often the news isn’t good. But the facts are, PTSD hits more civilians than soldiers, and more women than men.
http://www.northernstars.ca/pt
Early physical activity following concussion may reduce persistent symptoms in children, teens
“Although strenuous exercise in patients recovering from concussion may be deleterious and increase re-injury risk, recent literature suggests that protracted rest may hamper concussion recovery, leading to secondary symptoms of fatigue, depression, anxiety and physiological deconditioning,”
K.H. v M.W.R., 2017 CanLII 465 (ON HPARB)
- 3. The Applicant’s insurance company required the Applicant to undergo an independent Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMJ) medical examination following a motor vehicle accident on November 24, 2012. The Respondent, who is a general dentist, conducted the examination in the presence of a nurse on October 9, 2013.
- 4. Following the appointment, the Applicant raised a number of concerns about the Respondent’s conduct while conducting the examination and the contents of the resulting report, which he detailed in a number of letters.
- 5. Specifically, the Applicant felt pain in his ears and face, and experienced swelling. He had soreness and numbness and tingling in his upper lip and problems with his left eye. He associated these symptoms with the examination and reported difficulty holding up his head after the examination.
- 6. Generally, the Applicant was of the view that the Respondent physically and psychologically abused him and prepared a report that was “misleading, inaccurate and biased.” In his view, the Respondent was motivated to abuse him as “reprisal for rebutting and complaining about the two previous Examiners.”
Federico and State Farm 2016-10-17 Arbitration, Final Decision, FSCO 5029
Turning now to the merits of the case at hand, I find that these two treatment plans were not assessed in an appropriate manner by the Insurer’s assessor, Angela Bertolo of D & D Disability Management. Without belabouring the point, State Farm’s assessor admitted on cross-examination that if she had been given all of the available information and had more carefully considered the O.T. in-home assessment report dated July 16, 2015 prepared by Theresa Rector and provided by Ms. Federico to State Farm, AND/OR if she had been informed by State Farm that Ms. Federico had not received any occupational therapy modalities whatsoever prior to submitting these two treatment plans in 2015, then her decision and recommendation(s) may/ would have been different. More telling than this, however, was the admission by State Farm in its final submissions that it conceded that the assessments were of no great value and that they would not be relying upon them.
Shanmuganathan and State Farm 2016-10-17 Arbitration, Final Decision, FSCO 5034
https://www5.fsco.gov.on.ca/AD/5034
Drs. Kavanaugh and Caterer provided reports following their assessments. They also gave evidence. A large part of their income is derived from insurance company assessments. Both do not treat for pain alone. They look for “objective” signs of impairment and try to improve function. Dr. Caterer says that chiropractors who treat pain alone without any “objective” signs of injury are not behaving properly. Treatment for pain alone is not reasonable and necessary. Dr. Kavanaugh says that you don’t get stronger by rubbing body parts, suggesting that massage and physiotherapy are not of much value. These reports do not yield much assistance to the diagnosis of chronic pain by Dr. Wong.[10] I believe the 3 rehabilitation plans are reasonable and necessary.
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Melanie Robbins derives her income from insurance assessments. She performed 2 in-home assessments on the Applicant. Her evidence was strongly influenced by the report of Dr. Kavanaugh. She believed based on the Kavanaugh Report that the Applicant had recovered.
Good news Ontario drivers: auto insurance rates are set to go down this quarter
The average car insurance rate for Ontario drivers is set to go down in the coming months, according to new filings released by The Financial Services Commission of Ontario.
Medical experts aren’t ‘hired guns’ for insurance companies: Ford
Physicians who are medical experts in personal injury cases are neither “advocates” for patients nor insurance companies but rather, are there to provide objective reports about real physiological injuries, says Toronto orthopedic spine and trauma surgeon Dr. Michael Ford.