Your Workers' Comp Doctor: What To Know
Posted on: 29 April 2018
Your workplace injury can only garner workers' comp benefits if you see a doctor. There are some valuable perks at stakes here, and your choice of doctor and the treatment you get can greatly influence what you get and how your recuperation time goes. Read on to learn more about getting the medical treatment you need and how to work with your workers' comp doctor.
Dealing with the doctor: The ability to communicate about your injuries is important. Diagnostics can only do so much when it comes to the way an injury affects your ability to do your job and your life in general. Not only is the way you talk about your injury important when it comes to getting the very best care for your injury, but it can also impact how the doctor interprets your condition in connection with work restriction and your eventual return to work.
Be clear to the doctor about the way the injury impact your particular job tasks. For example, if you are dealing with a carpal tunnel injury, let the doctor know that your job involves almost constant keyboarding which can further aggravate any hand or wrist problem like carpal tunnel. When your injury begins to get better, allow the doctor to evaluate your ability to return to your job with your input.
What doctor handles workers' comp? Since workers' comp is based on state law, the workers' compensation board of each state oversee the rules. Access the website or phone for guidance in seeking medical help. Usually, you are allowed to see almost any doctor in an emergency. In some cases, after you are stabilized, you must seek care from special workers' comp doctors in your area. You must then be referred to specialists by that doctor if you need special care, such as an orthopedic surgeon. In other cases, you are free to choose your own doctor, and you can even use your usual primary care physician or specialists.
What about the independent medical exam? At some point in your recovery, the workers' comp carrier may ask that you be examined for a specific purpose. This exam is usually performed by a special type of doctor who specializes in these exams. This exam is looking for reasons why you are still unable to return to work after a certain period of recovery time has elapsed. If the doctor determines that your injuries are healed enough for you to go back to work, and your other doctor disagrees with this assessment, you may need to take further actions.
If all is not well with your workers' comp claim or doctor's care, see a workers' compensation lawyers right away.
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