Medical document organiser

Medical paperwork after an accident arrives in pieces, from different departments and sometimes different hospitals. This organiser sorts it into three groups by when it was created, so you can see at a glance what you have and what is still missing.

What this organiser does

Rather than one long list, this groups your documents by the stage of treatment they came from. A document from your first emergency visit does a different job from one written six months later, and both matter.

The documents to keep

From the emergency visit

1. The admission and discharge notes or summary.
2. Any X-ray, scan or laboratory results and their written reports.
3. The first medical certificate, if one was issued.
4. Receipts for any payment made at this stage.

From ongoing treatment

1. Every outpatient visit note and prescription.
2. Physiotherapy or rehabilitation records, if you attend these.
3. Receipts for medication, transport to appointments, and any equipment like a splint or crutches.
4. Updated medical certificates each time one is issued.

The specialist report

1. The specialist’s written report describing your injury, treatment and prognosis.
2. Any follow-up report if your condition changes significantly.
3. Correspondence confirming when and where this report was requested and issued.

Why the specialist report matters most

General damages for pain, suffering and loss of amenities are assessed against a published guide, using your medical evidence as the basis.^[1] This makes the specialist report the single most influential document in your file, ahead of any receipt or note. The medical report for a claim explains how it is obtained and what it should cover.

What to do next

Once your documents are organised, future medical costs explains how ongoing or future treatment is factored in, and recovering medical costs covers what you can claim back for what you have already spent.