Professional services
Medico-Legal & Clinical Reporting
This page is for solicitors, insurers, employers, case managers and other authorised parties requesting documentation about a patient of this practice. It is not a treatment page.
Can my chiropractor provide a report to my lawyer or insurer?
A treating practitioner can provide a report describing the clinical history, examination findings, treatment provided and progress observed, where the patient has given informed written consent. That is distinct from an independent medical examination or expert opinion, which is a different service performed by an appointed independent examiner.
How it works
- 1
Submit a written request
Set out the patient's details, the period of interest, the specific questions to be addressed and your required timeframe. Broad requests take longer and cost more than specific ones.
- 2
Provide signed patient consent
No clinical information is released without informed written consent from the patient or their authorised representative. This is not negotiable.
- 3
Scope and fee confirmed
The scope, fee and turnaround are confirmed in writing before work begins. Fees are for the preparation of the report, not for any particular content or conclusion.
- 4
The requesting party is invoiced
Reports requested by a law firm are invoiced to that firm, not to the patient. Requests from insurers and other professional parties are invoiced to the requesting organisation.
- 5
Report prepared and released
The report is prepared from the clinical record and examination findings and released to the authorised party.
Treating practitioner reports versus independent reports
These are different things and conflating them causes problems later. A treating practitioner report is prepared by the clinician who has actually managed the patient. It describes what was found, what was done, and how the patient progressed, from the clinical record.
An independent medical examination or expert report is prepared by a practitioner with no treating relationship, specifically appointed to give an independent opinion. Different obligations apply, and a treating clinician cannot provide one about their own patient.
Requests to this practice are handled as treating practitioner reports unless otherwise agreed in advance. If you require an independent examination, that needs an appropriately appointed independent examiner.
What a report may cover
Depending on the scope agreed, a report may cover the presenting complaint and relevant history, examination findings, working clinical impression, treatment provided and the patient's response, a chronology of attendances, functional observations recorded during care, and answers to specific written questions.
Reports are prepared from the clinical record and from findings actually documented at the time. Where information is not available or falls outside what was assessed, the report says so rather than filling the gap.
How reports are written
Clear, objective and clinically grounded. Reports describe findings and reasoning; they do not argue a position on behalf of any party, and they are not prepared to support a particular outcome.
Where causation is in question, a report may describe the clinical picture and its consistency or otherwise with a reported mechanism. It will not assert causation that the clinical evidence does not support.
Frequently asked questions
Do you provide independent medical examinations?
Requests are handled as treating practitioner reports unless otherwise agreed in advance. An independent medical examination is a distinct service requiring an appointed independent examiner with no treating relationship to the patient.
Do you need the patient's consent?
Yes, always. No clinical information is released without informed written consent from the patient or their authorised representative.
How long does a report take?
Turnaround depends on the scope of the request and the volume of records involved. It is confirmed in writing along with the fee before work begins.
Will the report support my client's claim?
A report sets out the clinical findings and reasoning objectively. It is not written to support any party's position, and a fee is charged for preparing the report rather than for reaching any particular conclusion.
Who pays for the report?
The requesting party. A report requested by a law firm is invoiced to that firm rather than to the patient, and the same applies to insurers and other professional parties. The fee is agreed in writing before work begins.
Can you comment on records from other practitioners?
Where relevant records are provided and the scope is agreed in advance, a report may consider them. Any such comment is confined to what the records show.
Last reviewed . General information about funding pathways, not financial, legal or individual health advice.
Professional enquiries
Requests for reports, and enquiries from solicitors, insurers and case managers, are handled through the clinic directly.