blog post
Hona Huddle recap: Why PI clients stop treating, with Rooney from Voto & Cavalli
Read Time
October 23, 2026
Treatment is where a personal injury case gets built. When a client drops out of care, the case value goes with it, and most firms don't find out for weeks.
In this Hona Huddle, Matt McClellan, Josh Christensen and I walked through why clients stop treating. Then Rooney Agramonte, a case manager with almost 20 years at Voto & Cavalli in New Jersey, shared what changed once Lia started working his caseload.
Watch the full Huddle
Most firms aren't measuring dropout
Published patient-adherence studies find that 30 to 50 percent of patients don't complete their treatment plans. Josh's point was that very few firms track this at all. Many rely on a check-in every 30 days, so a client who stopped treating right after the last call can go two months before anyone notices.
When we asked the audience for their firm's dropout rate, the honest answer was "not sure." That's normal, and it's the reason we started talking about it.
Three reasons clients drop out
1. Life logistics
A ride falls through. A work schedule changes. Childcare doesn't line up. The only provider who works on a lien is 25 minutes away. None of these feel like a big deal on their own, but as treatment gets harder to fit in, clients slowly slip away.
2. The "I feel better" trap
Matt called this the most common one. A client feels a little better and skips an appointment, then another. Feeling better isn't the same as being better, and when the medical record stops, the insurance company reads it as "they recovered." The fix is to get ahead of it: tell clients early, in intake and in follow-ups, why treatment still matters even when they feel better.
3. The trust gap
Clients haven't paid the firm anything and can walk away at any time. With a check-in once a month, they can go weeks wondering if anyone is working their case. Matt's phrase for it: clients quietly quitting their cases. Trust gets built through steady contact and education, starting at the first call.
What changed for Rooney
Rooney handles cases from sign-up until a complaint is filed, which means making sure clients treat, get the right care for their injuries and get their bills paid. He carries about 200 cases.
Before: a drip text every two months asked clients how they were doing. When they called back, Rooney walked through every base by phone. MRIs? Pain management? Any specialists?
After: Lia does those check-ins for him. It tells him when MRIs are done so he can request the records, and when a client has seen pain management or a specialist. Clients ask more questions too, about treatment, providers or a visit they can't make.
"They're very happy with the constant communication. They're happy that we're reaching out to them to see how they're doing." Rooney Agramonte, Case Manager, Voto & Cavalli
The time savings go where they matter most:
"It's freeing up time for me to actually do what matters, which is prepping the demands and getting the packages out to the insurance carrier." Rooney Agramonte
A gap caught months early
Rooney got a text from Hona that a client's MRIs were done. He pulled the report and saw a shoulder tear. The client was still in chiropractic and physical therapy and hadn't been sent to an orthopedic specialist. Rooney got him in for a consult right away, instead of waiting for chiro to wrap up and letting a five to six month gap form.
"We fill in that gap, and it was because of the AI." Rooney Agramonte
See it on your cases
Lia keeps clients engaged through treatment, tracks appointments and providers, and flags your team the moment something needs a person. Already on Hona? Talk to your account manager about putting Lia on your treating cases. New to Hona? Book a demo.
Treatment is where a personal injury case gets built. When a client drops out of care, the case value goes with it, and most firms don't find out for weeks.
In this Hona Huddle, Matt McClellan, Josh Christensen and I walked through why clients stop treating. Then Rooney Agramonte, a case manager with almost 20 years at Voto & Cavalli in New Jersey, shared what changed once Lia started working his caseload.
Watch the full Huddle
Most firms aren't measuring dropout
Published patient-adherence studies find that 30 to 50 percent of patients don't complete their treatment plans. Josh's point was that very few firms track this at all. Many rely on a check-in every 30 days, so a client who stopped treating right after the last call can go two months before anyone notices.
When we asked the audience for their firm's dropout rate, the honest answer was "not sure." That's normal, and it's the reason we started talking about it.
Three reasons clients drop out
1. Life logistics
A ride falls through. A work schedule changes. Childcare doesn't line up. The only provider who works on a lien is 25 minutes away. None of these feel like a big deal on their own, but as treatment gets harder to fit in, clients slowly slip away.
2. The "I feel better" trap
Matt called this the most common one. A client feels a little better and skips an appointment, then another. Feeling better isn't the same as being better, and when the medical record stops, the insurance company reads it as "they recovered." The fix is to get ahead of it: tell clients early, in intake and in follow-ups, why treatment still matters even when they feel better.
3. The trust gap
Clients haven't paid the firm anything and can walk away at any time. With a check-in once a month, they can go weeks wondering if anyone is working their case. Matt's phrase for it: clients quietly quitting their cases. Trust gets built through steady contact and education, starting at the first call.
What changed for Rooney
Rooney handles cases from sign-up until a complaint is filed, which means making sure clients treat, get the right care for their injuries and get their bills paid. He carries about 200 cases.
Before: a drip text every two months asked clients how they were doing. When they called back, Rooney walked through every base by phone. MRIs? Pain management? Any specialists?
After: Lia does those check-ins for him. It tells him when MRIs are done so he can request the records, and when a client has seen pain management or a specialist. Clients ask more questions too, about treatment, providers or a visit they can't make.
"They're very happy with the constant communication. They're happy that we're reaching out to them to see how they're doing." Rooney Agramonte, Case Manager, Voto & Cavalli
The time savings go where they matter most:
"It's freeing up time for me to actually do what matters, which is prepping the demands and getting the packages out to the insurance carrier." Rooney Agramonte
A gap caught months early
Rooney got a text from Hona that a client's MRIs were done. He pulled the report and saw a shoulder tear. The client was still in chiropractic and physical therapy and hadn't been sent to an orthopedic specialist. Rooney got him in for a consult right away, instead of waiting for chiro to wrap up and letting a five to six month gap form.
"We fill in that gap, and it was because of the AI." Rooney Agramonte
See it on your cases
Lia keeps clients engaged through treatment, tracks appointments and providers, and flags your team the moment something needs a person. Already on Hona? Talk to your account manager about putting Lia on your treating cases. New to Hona? Book a demo.
