If you have been injured at work, getting prompt and effective medical treatment is vitally important.
Keep in mind, however, that the tradeoffs involved in the workers’ compensation system include certain limitations on your choice of doctor.
In this post, we will inform you about some of the limitations.
In Colorado, the workers’ compensation statute traditionally permitted employers to designate the doctor to provide treatment to an injured worker.
As we explained in our video on authorized physicians, Colorado law was amended in recent years to specify that most employers must provide injured employees with a choice of two doctors.
But if the employer does not indicate the choice of a specific doctor, the right to select a doctor essentially passes to the employee.
To be sure, once a choice is made, it is not so easy to switch to a different doctor. Making such a switch may require agreement among both parties or the approval of an administrative law judge in the Colorado work comp system.
In short, the issue of selecting a doctor for treatment of your work injury can be a tricky one. It would not be surprising if the Colorado legislature took further action in the future to clarify the considerations involved in doctor choice.
Once you do begin receiving treatment, bear in mind that the medical evidence will play an important role in supporting your workers’ compensation claim. Be prepared for that evidence to be scrutinized closely by the claims adjuster for the workers’ comp insurance company.
To learn more, please visit our page on doctors and work injuries.