Can I Choose Any Doctor After a Workplace Injury?

When beginning the process of treating any injury, one of the first questions pertains to who will do the treatment. For most injuries and medical needs, most people prefer to go to their normal doctor. Workplace injuries that are a part of a workers’ compensation claim are a little different however. The company’s human resources department will provide you with a list of doctors that you can seek treatment from with regards to your workplace injury, but are you free to choose any doctor you want instead?

The simple answer is, no, you won’t be able to choose any doctor right away following a workplace injury and workers’ compensation claim. The reason for this is that it is the company’s insurance that will be paying for medical expenses, as this is part of the workers’ comp program, so therefore you must be treated by a doctor within the network of that insurance policy. This keeps costs down for the employer and, more importantly, allows you to receive more compensation for medical expenses as a result.

That being said, after the first 90 days, if treatment is still required for the workplace injury, you are indeed able to change doctors to whichever you prefer. In order to do this, you will need to provide one week’s notice to the employer and insurance company. The exception to this rule, and to seeking treatment from your own doctor in general, is if surgery is required. If surgery is necessary, you may receive a second opinion and appeal to have that surgery done by a different doctor.

Filing a workers’ compensation claim is easy if you follow these and other guidelines, however companies may try to prevent you from receiving these benefits. If they do, contact the Franco Law Firm and we’ll help you fight to have your workers’ comp rights restored and see justice for you. To schedule a free consultation with us today, please call us at (813) 872-0929.