Illinois law allows the Workers’ Compensation insurance company to send the injured worker to a doctor of its own choice.
This doctor cannot provide you with any treatment.
The only purpose of this doctor is to examine you and the doctor’s opinion may be used against you in your case.
You will have to travel to see the doctor for an exam that will last approximately 10 minutes to one hour.
The doctor will write a report that describes your injuries, whether your condition is related to your work injury, what treatment is necessary, and your restrictions.
The insurance company may use this report to deny the injured worker medical treatment, stop payments, or deny the case all together.
If this happens, then you will need to have your doctor testify in your favor.
The Arbitrator will chose between the doctors’ opinions in deciding whether or not you win your case.
It is important to know that you must go to the insurance company doctor or you will be denied all benefits.
What is in the injured worker’s favor is that your treating doctor spends much more time with you and over the course of time sees how the injury affects you, and if the doctor is your surgeon sees the pathology of your condition in a way that the insurance company doctor cannot.
If you are ordered to see a Work Comp doctor make sure that you talk with an experienced Illinois Workers’ Compensation Attorney immediately.
Questions about your work injury? Feel free to contact Illinois Workers’ Compensation Attorney Dirk May with Williams and Swee at 309-827-4371.