Choosing a Doctor After a Work Injury

One of the most important components of a successful workers’ compensation claim is seeking medical care for your injury as soon as possible after first getting hurt, and then following all instructions from your doctors until you reach maximum medical improvement. However, thanks to how Nevada state law governs workers’ comp claims, you may not have a completely unrestricted choice about which doctor(s) you seek care from after getting hurt or sick on the job.

As with most other legal matters, it can be helpful to know a little bit in advance about how choosing a doctor after a work injury works. With that in mind, here is a brief overview of the rules for this stage of the workers’ comp claims process, all of which a skilled legal professional from Shook & Stone can explain in more detail and, if necessary, help you efficiently navigate around during your claim.

Choosing a Doctor for an Initial Examination

To file a workers’ comp claim in Nevada, you must submit to a physical examination conducted by an approved physician or, in some circumstances, a chiropractor. The insurance company that provides your employer with workers’ compensation coverage will have a list of approved physicians for workers’ comp claims that your employer can give you upon request.

It is also worth noting that doctors cannot be authorized to perform initial examinations for workers’ comp claims unless they are members of the Panel of Treating Physicians and Chiropractors. It is sometimes possible to get this evaluation done by an independent medical examiner if you jump through the right procedural hoops—something a skilled attorney from Shook & Stone can provide invaluable assistance with.

Choosing a Doctor for Ongoing Treatment

Importantly, while you are required to get an initial exam from an approved physician after suffering a work injury, you are not required to continue receiving treatment solely from that physician after the exam is completed. In fact, Nevada Revised Statutes § 616C.090(3) guarantees you the right to request a change to a different physician from their insurer, provided they do so no more than 90 days after initially getting hurt.

Once the insurance company receives this kind of request, they have ten days to approve or deny it. If the insurance company approves your request, you can switch to your preferred doctor without hassle. If you receive a rejection for this kind of request, though, you can often appeal against that rejection with help from a knowledgeable legal professional.

Legal Counsel Can Help With Choosing a Doctor After a Work Injury

The choice of what physician you get medical care from in the wake of a workplace accident can have a deceptively significant effect on how well you heal in the long run and how quickly you can return to work. However, you do not have an entirely unlimited right to choose whatever doctor you want after a work injury—a lesson that some workers’ comp claimants without legal representation, unfortunately, learn the hard way.

You can avoid issues like this and give yourself the best chances of getting the best possible claim result if you retain and work closely with a workers’ comp lawyer from Shook & Stone. Call us today for a free consultation.