Have you been recently injured at work? If you’re in need and experienced workers’ comp doctor to treat your injuries, it may interest you to know that you may not be the person to choose the doctor.
Here’s a simple guide to understanding who chooses a treating doctor for your work-related injuries.
Worker’s Compensation Injuries: Choosing a Doctor
To receive benefits for worker’s compensation injuries most businesses or employers require a doctor’s verification of your injuries and their severity.
However, the fact is, that the person who gets to choose the doctor you see for worker’s comp injuries depends on the state you live and work in.
What Are the Options?
In many states, the doctor that an employee must see is chosen by the employer and the employer’s insurance company. In other states, the employee can choose their own physician.
Where things get challenging is when the responsibility of choosing a doctor is split between employees and employer’s insurance agencies. To make this simple, here is a list of states where the choice of doctor is left to an employee, or the injured party:
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Connecticut
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New York
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
If you reside in one of these states, you’re in luck. You have either complete say in choosing your doctor, or you have the opportunity to work with your employer to make the choice.
Be sure to speak with your own insurance company and a professional advisor about your rights within your specific state. You never want a lack of information or understanding about your rights to prevent you from having as much say in the choice as you should.
This is particularly important if in your state you share the responsibility of choice with your employer.
How to Choose the Right Doctor?
When you’re looking for a doctor to help with your case, it’s important to have a basic understanding of the different physician specialties.
Different specialists will be able to offer more specific feedback and diagnosis depending on the type and location of your injuries. Common physician specialties that work with worker’s compensation injuries include:
- Pain Management Doctors
- Neurologists
- Orthopedic Doctors
- Physiatrist
- Chiropractor
- Physical Therapist
- Spine Specialist
There may be additional medical professionals like a diagnostic team that you will need to visit during this process.
Fortunately, with over 7 million work injuries occurring each year in the United States, there are many great resources for employees looking for help.
Get Help Now
Finding the right doctor for work-related injuries doesn’t have to be a daunting task. You’ve been through enough already.
Let out team of professionals help.
Call (888) 590-4030 to find the best workers’ comp doctors near you. call now and get the medical help and benefits you deserve.
