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Can I Make Workers Compensation Pay for Pain Management?

All too often, serious work injuries result in injured workers suffering some amount of lifelong pain.  I attribute much of this to the problems that Georgia’s workers compensation system continues to have with delay and denial of medical treatment.  When you cannot get the medical treatment you need quickly, you could end up suffering from chronic pain.

When that pain cannot be cured, your treating workers compensation doctor may refer you to a pain management specialist.

Male patient suffering from back pain speaks with doctor Does Georgia’s workers compensation law cover pain management treatment?

Yes, generally it does.  There are some special rules.

First, let’s talk about what pain management is. It’s a medical specialty where doctors provide you treatment that, obviously enough, manages your pain.  This medical treatment usually falls into two categories:

  1. Medication management including the prescription of pain medication and other medications to treat your injury
  2. Interventional treatment in the form of injections or other medical procedures

When does pain management occur in workers compensation claims?

Pain management specialists might provide you with treatment at a few different times after your injury.  The most common time that pain management treatment occurs is after other treatment options have been tried.  So, an orthopedic surgeon might refer an injured worker to pain management if they had significant pain after surgery.

But, you can also receive treatment from a pain management specialist before that happens.  In a back or neck injury case, pain management doctors often may provide treatment in the form of epidural steroid injections before surgery.

It is important to remember that Georgia’s workers compensation law has special rules regarding medical treatment.  In most situations, you need a referral from your authorized treating physician in order to make the insurance company pay for the medical treatment.  If the doctor who refers you for pain management treatment is not your authorized treating physician, you will likely need to get your authorized treating physician to concur with that referral.

Can the pain management doctor refer me for other medical treatment?

Sometimes, your pain management specailist may refer you to another doctor for specialized medical treatment.  For example, many people in chronic pain get depressed and need a referral to a psychologist or psychiatrist for treatment.

Usually your pain management specialist is not your authorized treating physician. Usually you may have an orthopedic specialist or possibly a primary care doctor serving as your authorized treating physician.

Under Georgia’s law, the workers compensation insurance company is only responsible for paying for medical referrals when they come from your authorized treating physician.   If your pain management doctor refers you to another doctor, you probably need to make sure you have a referral from your authorized treating physician.

Man with headache trying to fall asleep in bed with medication on nightstand Does the workers compensation insurance company have to pay for opiates and other pain medications?

Pain medications have become a concern across the country in recent years.  Some people abuse pain medication.  This abuse can lead to death or addiction.

Opioid medications cause people particular concerns.  The President and political leaders have talked about our country being in an opioid crisis.  These concerns have led to many doctors tightening down on the prescription of pain medications.

Because of these concerns, it is possible that special rules may be passed in the future regarding the prescription of and payment for pain medication in Georgia workers compensation claims.  But, those rules are not yet in effect in 2017.  So, Georgia currently covers the prescription of pain medication in workers compensation cases.

What if I have other questions about workers compensation?

Georgia’s workers compensation system can be very confusing.  You have to worry about getting the treatment you need and paying your bills while also worrying about not missing any deadlines that could cause you to lose your right to receive workers compensation benefits.

If you have questions, I would recommend that you try to get answers.  To find out more about how to schedule a time to talk to me about your workers compensation questions, just read this short article.

Jason Perkins is an attorney who specializes in representing injured workers.  He regularly publishes videos and write blog articles about Georgia’s workers compensation system and issues that are important to injured workers and their families.

To be notified of Jason’s new workers compensation videos, subscribe to his Georgia Workers Compensation Video Series channel on YouTube by clicking the subscribe button below.

Brittney-lee orourkeBrittney-lee orourke
05:23 18 Feb 22
Amazing! Jason and his team were very helpful and had the best communication by far. Walked me though every step with great detail and had answers for any question I had. They handled my case better then I could imagine, it was a weird case and they stayed on top of it and kept me updated every step of the way! Highly recommend this Team! Thanks so much to Jason and his Awesome team!-Brittney
China JonesChina Jones
18:58 08 Feb 22
I absolutely love this group of attorneys, when I was at my lowest they did everything they could to help me get justice for my injury. I believe if I were to have never picked my phone up and called the amazing group that helped me I definitely would not have received my idea of rights. If you have an issue and are just not sure please understand that they will help you, stay in contact, answer any question you have, and for sure get you the justice you deserve I thank them from the bottom of my heart and I will definitely refer them to anyone who has been hurt because they most definitely care about their work and clients.
Luv LocsLuv Locs
16:08 15 Jan 22
The entire law office was attentive and responsive to all of my concerns dealing with my workers compensation case.
moombimoombi
21:14 02 Jan 22
If you must get a lawyer involved, you’d do well to work with Jason Perkins and his team at Perkins Studdard Law.They were thorough in gathering information and in sharing all the steps in the workers comp process specific to my case. Jason and the team were responsive to my bevy of questions and concerns.I appreciated the informative videos and consultations provided by Jason over video meetings and multiple phone calls.I hope I’m never injured on the job again. However, if I am and if my employer responds as my previous employer did, I’ll contact Perkins Studdard Law immediately to handle the case.
Dana BessDana Bess
23:57 10 Dec 21
Everyone at Perkins Studdard was kind and professional. They were always extremely responsive and answered all questions that I had and followed up to make sure I had an understanding of what was going on along with emailing videos to explain every step of my case so I would know what to expect and be prepared. Jason is a very genuine person and I trusted him with my case. He answered so many questions for me even before I retained him as my WC lawyer. I highly recommend him and his associates at Perkins Studdard.
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