3 razones para cambiar de médico de cabecera tras un accidente laboral
You Should Choose Your Own Doctor to Handle Your Workers’ Comp Injury
A lot of people do not know this, but if you are hurt at work in Washington, D.C., you get to choose your own doctor for medical treatment.
Your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance company cannot require you to treat with one of their doctors. Sometimes they will tell you that you have to see a physician connected to the insurance company, but that is not true.
You have the right to choose your own treating doctor, and workers’ compensation is responsible for paying for that care.
Many people assume they should use their primary care doctor, and while that may seem convenient, there are important reasons why that is usually not the best option in a D.C. workers’ compensation case.
3 Reasons Not to Use Your Primary Care Doctor as Your Main Treating Physician
1. Your unrelated personal medical history should stay private.
Most people have been seeing their primary care doctor for years. Over time, you share very personal information that becomes part of your medical chart. If that history has nothing to do with your work injury, it should stay between you and your doctor.
In a workers’ compensation case, insurance companies will try to obtain medical records whenever possible. That is why you should never sign a broad medical release. We have seen insurance doctors reference things that had absolutely nothing to do with a client’s injury, including family medical history. That information should never have been part of the case.
2. Work injuries often require specialists.
Primary care doctors are great for routine care and general health issues. But work injuries often involve trauma to bones, discs, nerves, or joints. These injuries usually require a specialist such as an orthopedic doctor, neurosurgeon, or pain management physician.
A good primary care doctor will often recognize this and refer you out. That referral can be helpful, but your family doctor usually should not be the main treating physician in a workers’ compensation case.
3. Most primary care offices do not handle workers’ compensation claims.
Workers’ compensation is a complicated system. Many primary care offices are not set up to deal with the paperwork, billing rules, and insurance approvals involved. This can cause delays in treatment, medications, and even your weekly wage benefits.
Specialists who regularly handle workers’ compensation cases understand the system. That experience can help avoid unnecessary delays and keep your medical care and benefits moving forward.
It is fine to be evaluated by your primary care doctor after a work injury or to ask for a referral to a specialist. But you should be cautious about letting your family doctor manage the entire workers’ compensation case.
Hurt at Work? Do Not Make These Mistakes
Confused About Medical Treatment After a Work Injury?
At Donahoe Kearney, we work with specialists throughout the DMV and deal with the workers’ compensation system every day. If the process has become overwhelming or frustrating, you do not have to figure it out alone.
Call 202-393-3320 or book your free consultation here: Book Free Consultation
We are here to answer your questions and help you figure out the next steps without added stress.
Related Articles:
What Is an IME in a Workers’ Comp Case and How to Prepare
D.C. Compensación a los Trabajadores no pagará a menos que vaya al médico
