Can You See Your Own Doctor After a Work Injury?

Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation and the Choice of Doctor

Under the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act, your employer can legally require you to seek treatment with one of the company’s approved doctors, but only for the first 90 days after your accident. After the 90 days, you’re entitled to see your own doctor.

The company’s doctor will be selected from a list of at least 6 healthcare providers.

That list of doctors should be provided to you at the time of your hire. You will also have to sign a form acknowledging that you understand you must see one of the approved doctors.

The exception to this rule is if your employer did not provide a viable list or if you need to see a specialist.

Also, if the incident requires an emergency room visit, you don’t need approval. You can go to the nearest ER for care.

The Risks of Treating Outside the Approved Medical Network

The benefit of having a workers’ compensation insurance program in place is that it requires payment for reasonable and necessary medical expenses related to a workplace injury, provided the worker complies with the filing process.

That begins with seeing a company-approved healthcare provider for the first 90 days of treatment.

If you don’t see that doctor, the insurance carrier can legally refuse to pay your expenses.

The medical evidence you present is critical to getting your claim approved. Insurance companies often rely on Independent Medical Exams (IMEs) from their approved doctors.

There is a justifiable concern that the “company doctor” might try to minimize the extent of your injury in order to reduce the amount of the payout.

If that happens and your claim is denied, you’re entitled to get a second opinion. The expenses for those exams might initially be out-of-pocket, but you might be reimbursed from your ultimate approved workers’ compensation claim.

How Legal Counsel Protects Your Right to Quality Care

When you’re dealing with a workplace injury, you need to follow the rules despite any misgivings you might have about the company’s choice of physician. If you feel as though you aren’t being taken seriously by that doctor, document everything.

After that, you’ll want to talk with the work injury lawyers at Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan.

Our team has helped many workers navigate the often complicated workers’ compensation program. We understand how the rules are supposed to operate and what their limits and exceptions are. We also know how frustrating it can be to deal with your recovery and lost wages. That is why we want to streamline the process as much as possible.

We can help you file your initial workers’ compensation claim and ensure you meet all eligibility requirements. If the claim is still denied, we’ll immediately file an appeal to schedule a hearing. All you have to do is focus on your recovery.

We’ll handle the legal matters.

Our support begins with a free initial consultation where we can answer all your questions about your injury and your benefits options. Call our office today to schedule that talk, and let’s get the process on track.