Pain doctors for lien cases in West Virginia

Who regulates care in West Virginia

• Physician licenses: West Virginia Board of Medicine
• Work injuries: West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner (workers' compensation)
• Medicaid program: West Virginia Medicaid

Treatment on a lien or letter of protection in West Virginia

Lien and letter-of-protection rules are set by each state, and West Virginia's rules differ from California's. Ask the provider and your attorney which arrangement they use in West Virginia and what you would owe if the case does not settle.

A medical lien (or letter of protection) lets an injured client get treatment now while the provider waits to be paid from the settlement. The attorney signs the lien, the provider bills at its stated rates, and the lien is negotiated and paid when the case resolves. If the case loses, the client may still owe the bill, so read the lien terms.

• The registry listings below show where pain specialists practice. They do not show who accepts liens; confirm with the office.
• Work injuries go through workers' compensation instead (West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner (workers' compensation)), which has its own billing rules.
• Ask for the provider's fee schedule up front so the lien amount at settlement is not a surprise.

Choosing a pain doctor in Charleston

• Check the license with the West Virginia Board of Medicine. Physicians can also be looked up on DocInfo.org.
• Ask whether the doctor is board certified in pain medicine (through anesthesiology, PM&R or neurology).
• Ask which procedures are done in the office and which at a surgery center, and who reads your imaging.
• Bring a list of medicines, prior imaging (MRI, X-ray) and the dates your pain started or changed.