After a work injury, you can generally choose your own doctor, but only if you predesignated that doctor before the injury. Predesignation means telling your employer in writing that you want your personal physician or medical group to treat you if you’re hurt at work. To qualify, you generally must:
- Give your employer written notice before the injury occurs
- Have health coverage for non-work-related conditions
- Have a personal physician or medical group that agrees to be predesignated
If those requirements are met, your regular doctor can generally begin treating you right away after a work injury without any waiting period or other authorization. Reach out to our work injury attorneys in Los Angeles for a free case consultation.
What Happens If Your Employer Has a Medical Provider Network?
Many California employers and their insurance carriers use a medical provider network, or MPN, which is a group of doctors approved in advance to treat workers’ compensation injuries. If your employer has an MPN and you did not predesignate your personal physician, your treatment will generally need to stay within that network. That doesn’t mean you’re stuck with the first doctor you see.
After your first medical examination, you can usually choose another doctor within the MPN, and you may switch again when reasonable. So this means you could still choose your doctor from, but they would have to be from within the MPN.
What If Your Employer Does Not Have an MPN?
If there’s no MPN or HCO (health care organization) and you didn’t predesignate a personal physician, the claims administrator generally has the right to choose your treating doctor during the first 30 days after your employer learns of the injury. After those first 30 days, you may generally choose a physician or treatment facility within a reasonable geographic area.
Why Your Choice of Doctor Matters
The treating physician isn’t just providing medical care; they’re generating the medical record your entire claim rests on. Their reports determine whether treatment gets approved, whether you receive temporary disability payments, and how your permanent impairment is measured.
Workers who feel their doctor isn’t listening, or who suspect the doctor is more attentive to the insurance company than the patient, should know that switching is often possible and that disagreements over medical findings can be challenged through the qualified medical evaluator (QME) process.
How Can a Workplace Injury Lawyer Help?
Disputes over medical care are unfortunately common in work injury cases. Fortunately, you don’t have to handle it on your own. An experienced attorney can:
- Determine whether you properly predesignated a physician, and defend that designation if the claims administrator challenges it
- Review whether your employer’s MPN rules are actually being followed
- Help you request a change of physician when your current doctor isn’t meeting your needs
- Address disputes over treatment authorizations or work restrictions
- Guide you through QME or AME procedures when medical opinions are disputed
- Make sure the medical reports in your file accurately reflect your injury and its effect on your ability to work
Because the treating physician’s findings shape nearly every benefit in your claim, a lawyer can be a critical part of the process.
Talk to a California Work Accident Lawyer About Your Medical Care
If you’ve been hurt at work and have questions about who can treat you, how to switch doctors, or how to challenge a medical opinion you disagree with, don’t navigate the system alone. A California work accident lawyer can explain your rights, deal with the insurance company on your behalf, and help you get the medical care your recovery depends on. Contact our team today to schedule your free case evaluation.