Can You Change Your Workers’ Comp Doctor? | Workers’ Compensation Attorney Explains

Summary

The video explains that if an individual is unhappy with an authorized treating workers’ compensation doctor, they have the option to switch doctors, but this is limited to once per case. The speaker highlights the necessity of being strategic with this choice to avoid jeopardizing future care, noting that if a patient has multiple specialists such as a neurologist and an orthopedist they cannot switch both. Attorneys discuss these options with clients to ensure the change leads to better treatment and helps the worker return to the workforce.

FAQs

Q: Can you change your authorized treating workers’ compensation doctor?

A: Yes, one of the options available is that you can switch your doctor once per case.

Q: Can you switch every doctor you treat with?

A: No. If you treat with different specialists, such as a neurologist and an orthopedist, you can only switch one of them for your whole case.

Q: Why is the decision to switch doctors considered complicated?

A: It is important to make sure you do not jeopardize future treatment for another body part or another doctor you might need later; for example, you do not want to use your one-time change on a neurologist if you might need it for an orthopedist later.

Q: What is the goal of switching your doctor?

A: The goal is to get you better treatment, make sure that you get better, and ensure you can get back to the workforce.

Q: Does the option to switch doctors apply only once, or can it be used repeatedly?

A: It can only be used once per case. The one-time change is a single opportunity that applies to the entire case rather than something that can be used repeatedly.

Q: Who decides which doctor to switch when a client has multiple specialists?

A: The firm discusses the available options with the client and helps determine which doctor should be switched based on the client’s situation.

Q: What is the risk of switching the wrong doctor first?

A: Switching the wrong doctor first could affect the client’s ability to change another doctor later if they need additional treatment for a different body part or with another specialist.

Q: If a client is unhappy with a doctor, is switching the only thing discussed?

A: No. The transcript mentions that there are “a couple options” when a client is unhappy with a doctor, but it only explains the one-time doctor switch in detail and does not specify the other option.

Q: What example specialties does the video use to illustrate this decision?

A: The video uses a neurologist and an orthopedist as examples, explaining that a client can only switch one of the two doctors for the entire case.

Transcription of the Video

What happens if you’re not happy with one of your authorised treating workers’ compensation doctors? Well, you have a couple options. The first option that we usually use is you can switch your doctor once per case. So we want to really make sure that the type of doctor that you’re switching is the proper doctor to switch in case you might need it for a different specialty. So for example, if you treat with a neurologist and an orthopedist, you can only switch one of them for your whole case. So you don’t want to use a change of doctors for a neurologist when you might need it for the orthopedist. So we’ll have those discussions with our clients, discuss what is the best option, and see which doctor we should switch and make sure that we don’t jeopardize the future treatment for some other body part or some other doctor that you might need in the future. So those are very complicated decisions, but that’s the most used element to try to switch your doctor, get you better treatment, and make sure that you get better and can get back to the workforce.