When you are hurt on the job, Georgia law says that your employer and their insurance company must pay for emergency care. Further, they must offer you medical treatment with a physician listed on a posted panel of physicians consisting of doctors they have chosen to provide care for work accidents. However, once you are out of immediate danger, the insurance company has the power to authorize or deny the next step in your care – such as diagnostic testing, surgery or physical therapy.
Frequently I get calls from injured workers who are suffering with severe back pain, shoulder pain or even burns, or folks who can’t walk due to knee injuries, but the posted panel doctor will not order an MRI or CT and ongoing medical treatment just grinds to a halt. The posted panel doctor may give you pain medications but his main focus seems to be returning you to work as soon as possible, regardless of your medical issues.
Why would the insurance company refuse to authorize (pay for) diagnostic tests like an MRI or CT scan to find out what is really going on? Don’t they know that the longer a back, shoulder, neck or knee injury remains untreated, the harder it will be for you to recover? Or do they just want you to suffer? [Read more…] about Why Would the Insurance Company Deny or Delay My Work Injury Medical Treatment?