If you sustain a work injury or contract an occupational disease, you may need to observe certain things regarding medical care to protect your eligibility for workers’ compensation benefits. And one of those things is choosing a doctor.
Will your employer pick your treating doctor, or can you go to any doctor?
Here is what to know:
Predesignated doctor
If you have a personal doctor that you predesignated before your work injury or illness, they can treat you. Predesignation involves informing your employer in writing that you have a personal doctor who you would like to treat you if you sustain a work injury or develop an occupational disease. Your notice will include the doctor’s name and address.
You can only predesignate a doctor if your employer offers group health coverage, the doctor has treated you in the past and has your medical records and they agreed to treat you for work-related injuries or illnesses.
Medical provider network
Employers typically have a medical provider network (MPN) – a group of medical providers specializing in work-related injuries and doctors with expertise in general areas of medicine. If you don’t have a predesignated doctor, your employer will provide you with a list of MPN doctors.
Health care organization
If you don’t have a predesignated doctor and your employer lacks an MPN, you can be treated in your employer’s health care organization (HCO) – an organization certified by the Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) to provide managed medical care to injured workers.
If none of these is available, your employer’s claim administrator will choose a doctor for you in the first 30 days after reporting your injury.
It’s vital to know who can treat your work-related injury or illness. Legal guidance can help you understand your options.
