After sustaining a serious injury on the job, it's understandable that injured workers would want access to care from the best doctors to treat their conditions. Unfortunately, when it comes to seeing a doctor, you're often limited to providers on your employer's approved panel of physicians.
While it's not impossible to see a specialist for a workplace injury, it does require jumping through a few hoops. Here's a look at the process.
Seeing an Authorized Doctor
Start by seeing a doctor from your employer's approved panel of physicians. In Georgia, the law specifies that these panels be comprised of at least six doctors, and include one orthopedic physician; no more than two industrial clinics; and at least one minority physician. The authorized doctor from the panel can refer you to a specialist, but they aren't always willing to do so.
If this happens, you still have a few options, including:
- Seeing a different doctor from the approved panel. You can switch to another doctor on the panel once without prior approval, and that physician could refer you to a specialist.
- Requesting an independent medical examination (IME). If it's been fewer than 120 days since you last received income benefits, you can request a one-time IME with any doctor of your choosing, and use that to schedule an appointment with a specialist.
- Presenting the IME report to your treating physician from the panel. After presenting the report, you can request to be referred to a specialist.
- Filing a request for a hearing seeking a change of physician. A workers' compensation attorney can help with this.
Sometimes, even if a doctor refers you to a specialist, your employer's workers' compensation insurance provider may decline to authorize the visit. This is particularly common for illnesses which are likely to require ongoing treatment, but for which there are no diagnostic tests to confirm progress. A prime example of this is psychiatric treatment.
Consult an Experienced Workers' Compensation Attorney
Are you struggling to obtain the medical care that you need after being injured in a workplace accident? The knowledgeable workers' compensation attorneys with Rechtman & Spevak can help. Contact us today to request an appointment for a free initial case consultation.
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