If you are an attorney handling personal-injury cases, then mark your calendar for June 9-10, and be sure to be at the Arizona Association of Chiropractic annual convention for the presentation by James Mathis.
If you are not familiar with Mr. Mathis you are likely familiar with Colossus, the program that Allstate started using in the 1990s to limit settlement offers on PI cases. Colossus was based on TEACH, a program that Mathis created for State Farm. When Allstate started using Colossus they brought Jim Mathis in to teach everyone there how to reap the greatest benefits from this program.
Was it effective? In the 10-year period prior to Colossus, Allstate’s profits averaged $82 million per year in the 10-year period after implementing Colossus their profits averaged $3.4 billion per year.
Mathis is recognized as the leading expert on the software, processes, procedures and practices of the insurance industry. During his employment with the insurance industry he was instrumental in creating and implementing many of the processes and procedures which are still in use today. He is retained throughout the United States as a consulting and testifying expert in insurance claim practices and software. To date, his testimony has been instrumental in securing some $4 billion is in judgments and settlements.
Mr. Mathis has co-authored with Drs. Croft and Freeman through Trial Guides “Minor Impact Claims” as well as articles, manuals and other educational literature for both the legal and medical communities.
I have had attorneys tell me that the automobile insurance industry is no longer using Colossus. It may be true that this particular name does not show up as much as it has in the past 25 years but there are currently over 80 programs that are derivatives of Colossus, which are currently in use by most insurance companies.
The formula that Mathis created is actually quite simple and allowed carriers the leeway to legitimately deny claims. What most doctors do not understand about personal injury claims is the need for a proper diagnosis supported by validating testing and documentation that the treatment was appropriate. From the attorneys’ perspective failure to include these in a demand with all their t’s crossed and i’s dotted is the reason settlement offers are typically one-third of what and they had been 30 years ago.
There is not another speaker who can give you more of what you need to successfully present your case in a demand. Anyone else who speaks on the subject is likely presenting what they learned from James Mathis.
The 12-hour presentation that he will give at the convention will not only explain the rules of the game (of which he was instrumental in creating) but it will give you the tools to make each of the stumbling blocks into stepping stones.
Besides what you will learn from Mr. Mathis, the state chiropractic convention will give you the opportunity to meet the chiropractors who are the primary source of personal injury referrals. You will also meet those chiropractors who are currently in or have graduated from the American Academy of Motor Vehicle Injuries. These are not only doctors with patients who need legal representation, but they are doctors who know how to diagnose, document and manage a personal injury case.
I have had the honor and privilege of sharing the stage with Jim Mathis on several occasions. Each time that I have done so I have come away with a far greater understanding of what the insurance company demands. After June 9-10, you will be able to say the same. Dr. Bill Gallagher, DC, CMVI
