Start with an incident file
Save reports, photographs, video, witness contact details, and contemporaneous messages. Keep the original files when possible; copies can be placed in a working folder.
- Write a factual timeline while events are fresh
- Keep report or event numbers with the issuing agency
- Record who created each photograph or document
Create a treatment record
List each provider, visit date, instruction you were given, prescription, referral, and work restriction. Do not edit medical documents or add a diagnosis that a provider did not make.
- Discharge instructions and visit summaries
- Bills and insurance explanations of benefits
- A list of requested records and the date requested
Track financial and daily effects
Keep wage records, leave notices, receipts, and written work restrictions. A simple dated log can record activities you could not do, but it should be accurate rather than dramatic.
- Pay statements before and after the incident
- Receipts connected to care or replacement services
- Dates missed and the reason for each absence
Protect the file
Back up the index and important documents. Avoid posting claim details publicly, and use a firm’s verified secure intake method before sending sensitive medical information.
- Keep originals in one known location
- Use descriptive filenames with dates
- Ask before sending health records by ordinary email