Allstate is suing several practices for insurance fraud
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AMARILLO -- An Amarillo chiropractic clinic is one of several clinics state-wide named in a $10 million lawsuit Thursday.
Allstate Insurance has named Washington Street Chiropractic in a suit over insurance fraud. It has to do with how they solicited patients.
The lawsuit alleges that Washington Street Chiropractic and others used telemarketers to contact folks who had been in car accidents. Telemarketers claimed to be from Allstate or just an insurance company and offered "free" examinations...luring new patients to their clinics.
Morey Pryer got a call after his accident in December.
"Someone had called me and said I had a free screening to start coming here," said Pryer.
He was feeling stiff anyway so he jumped on the offer. But if Pryer is one of many that Allstate says was "coerced" into regular adjustments...Allstate is being billed unnecessarily.
"We have been paying out substantial amounts of unnecessary fraudulantly-generated insurance claims," said Allstate Spokesperson Bill Mellander.
That should concern you even if you do not think you are directly affected.
"This still costs you because you are then charged higher insurance premiums," said Mellander. "It causes the amount you pay for coverage to be artificially inflated."
But how did these telemarketers get accident victims' information anyway?
"Once upon a time the accident reports sat up here at the front counter and people of all walks of life would just kind of look through," said Corporal Jerry Neufeld, Amarillo Police Department.
A few years later...the system is more secure. The Amarillo Police Department rarely gets requests for accident reports and does not hear many complaints.
"We've only had one or two people who have called and made reports or inquiries even about 'how come this person's calling me," said Neufeld.
So you should feel your information is pretty safe after an accident. But Pryer was still contacted.
"I was kind of confused," said Pryer. "I didn't know where it came from."
So Pronews 7 decided to just ask Washington Street Chiropractic what they had to say about the suit and their involvement.
"I have no comment I know nothing about it," said Stephen Fuller, D.C.
The problem is...Pronews 7 did a story on Washington Street Chiropractic back in 2003 over the same issue...with our hotline reports. So it is an issue the clinic should be familiar with.
Either way, Pryer actually is not at all upset about the issue.
"I have no problem with it at all," said Pryer. "I mean if I end up getting in another wreck, hopefully I won't, I'd come back here for sure."
If you were recommended to Washington Street Chiropractic by someone offering a free examination, call the National Insurance Crime Bureau. That's 1-800-TEL-NICB.
And if you have been in an accident and someone has called you offering services against your will, the police also want to know. Call them to file a report.
