The short answer
You do not need an attorney to be examined or treated here, and you do not need a referral from another doctor. People come in before they have talked to anyone about the claim, and people come in with an attorney already working on it. Both are ordinary.
Get examined as soon as you can. An early, dated exam starts your record from the beginning.
Auto insurance, MedPay, PIP, and liens accepted.
Whether to talk to an attorney is your decision, not a clinical one, and this page does not make a recommendation either way.
How care is paid for when there is no attorney
An attorney is not a payment method. The coverages are the same whether or not anyone is representing you:
- Your own auto policy. MedPay or PIP, if your policy has it, pays medical expenses no matter who was at fault.
- The other driver's liability insurance. This one turns on a decision about fault, and it usually settles at the end of a claim rather than paying along the way.
- A lien. Care can begin on a lien, which is an agreement that the bill is paid out of a settlement later. Clinics generally use liens where an attorney is involved.
Which of these applies to your crash, in the order they usually come into play and with each source linked, is on who pays for my care after a car accident. The clinic checks your coverage before your first visit and tells you in writing what you will owe.
What changes if you do have an attorney
The exam does not change. What changes is the paperwork around it: the clinic handles records requests with their office, and a lien is usually how the bill is handled. You are still the patient, and you still decide about care.
If you do not have one and later decide you want one, the records of the care you already had will exist by then. That is the practical reason not to wait on care while you think about the legal side: see what gets documented and why.
When people talk to an attorney
People do it at different points, and the clinic has no view on when you should. What is worth knowing is what the clinic is not allowed to do, whoever you choose.
What this clinic will not do
- It does not recommend a particular law firm, and does not steer you to one. If you ask, you get a written list of personal injury firms in the area and you pick.
- It takes no payment from any attorney for sending you. In California, a licensed health care provider offering, receiving or accepting any rebate, refund, commission, discount or other consideration as compensation or inducement for referring patients is unlawful [1]. Separately, a person who processes, presents or negotiates claims and who offers or accepts consideration for referring a claimant is covered by the Insurance Code's unlawful-referral article [2].
- Nobody from this clinic solicits business for an attorney. California law makes it unlawful to act as a runner or capper for an attorney, or to solicit business for an attorney, in hospitals and other listed places [3].
You can confirm the license of whoever will examine you through the Board of Chiropractic Examiners' own lookup [4]. More questions to ask any clinic, not just this one: how to choose a car accident chiropractor.
Where to go next
If you have not been examined yet, start with which doctor to see after a car accident. If you are already in physical therapy, see already in PT after a car accident. For the money side, who pays for my care. In Spanish: ¿Necesito abogado para ver a un quiropráctico?
Ask for a call back
Leave a first name and number. We'll call you back within 30 minutes during clinic hours; outside clinic hours, first thing the next morning.
Questions
Do I need a lawyer to be seen here?
Will the clinic recommend a lawyer for me?
Does the clinic get paid by attorneys for sending patients?
How is care paid for if I never hire anyone?
Related pages
Sources
- California Business and Professions Code § 650, "Unearned Rebates, Refunds and Discounts". Read October 12, 2026.
- California Insurance Code § 750, "Unlawful Referrals". Read October 12, 2026.
- California Business and Professions Code § 6152, "Unlawful Solicitation". Read October 12, 2026.
- California Board of Chiropractic Examiners, "License Search". Read October 12, 2026.
This page is general information, not medical or legal advice, and nothing on it is a recommendation about whether to hire an attorney. If you think you are having a medical emergency, call 911.