Category: Medical Treatment Rights

My Workers’ Comp Doctor Has Nothing More To Offer Me

You have gotten some medical treatment from a workers’ comp doctor but are still in a lot of pain.  The doctor tells you, “You are just going to have to learn to live with pain.”  Is that right? Is there nothing you can do? Doctors cannot fix everything.  But, that does not mean the workers’ […]

Can a Workers Comp Doctor Commit Medical Malpractice?

Doctors are human.  Like everyone else, they make mistakes sometimes.  Most people have heard about medical malpractice claims. Sometimes, workers’ compensation doctors make mistakes as well.  They may diagnose an injury incorrectly.  They may not use proper care when performing surgery. Sometimes, these mistakes do not cause any harm.  Other times, mistakes cause serious injury […]

Don’t Make This Workers’ Compensation Mistake

Changing doctors without knowing all your rights is a common workers’ compensation mistake.  Getting good medical treatment is important.  The rules about changing doctors can be tricky. You have rights under Georgia’s workers’ compensation laws that help you get good medical treatment.  You need to understand those rights before changing doctors. Do I need to […]

Beating Insurance Company Medical Treatment Denials

Probably the most common reason people call me about their workers compensation case is medical treatment denials by the insurance company.  These treatment denials come in several forms: An actual denial – “We are denying payment for your surgery.” A partial denial – “We will approve your medical treatment but you have to have it […]

Workers Compensation Doctors

Many people refer to the doctors who provide medical treatment for work injuries as workers compensation doctors.  Some people use the term “company doctors”. Even though Georgia law gives injured workers the right to pick their doctor off the employer’s panel of physicians, many injured workers are sent directly to these doctors without getting offered […]

Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI)

You may read about maximum medical improvement on some paperwork from your workers’ compensation doctor.  Like many medical terms, you may wonder what it means.  You probably wonder how it will affect your workers’ compensation benefits. Maximum medical improvement (or MMI for short) means that your injury is basically “as good as it is going […]

New Medical Treatment Delay Tactics

You need to get medical treatment quickly for your work injury.  When you suffer a serious injury, delays in treatment often affect your ability to get better.  Sometimes, these delays can lead to permanent limitations and restrictions. The State of Georgia changed its workers’ compensation law a few years ago.  This change placed a limit […]

Continued Efforts to Harm Injured Workers

Workers’ compensation laws vary by state, but all are “statutory”.  “Statutory” means that the legislative body in the state has passed statutes (laws) establishing the rules that apply.  So, the workers’ compensation system in Georgia is primarily a number of statutes that were passed by our State House and Senate.  This is the case in […]

Can I Pick My Workers’ Compensation Doctor?

YES.  Georgia’s workers compensation laws allow you to pick your workers’ compensation doctor.  It is important to understand that you may have a limited number of doctors from which to choose.  The doctors from which you can choose will depend on whether your employer has followed the rules about posting a list of doctors and […]

When the Insurance Company Denies Workers Compensation Benefits

Why do workers’ compensation insurance companies deny you the weekly benefits and medical treatment you need? There are many answers to that question, but one likely answer is that they believe it is in their financial best interests to do so.  Paying you benefits costs the insurance company money.  If the insurance company pays less […]