The Form WC-207 is one of the forms that is published by the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation. The form is used by employers, insurance companies, and attorneys to get copies of your medical records.
Why should the insurance company get my medical records?
The insurance company has a responsibility to pay your medical bills. They also have to pay you weekly benefits when your injury keeps you from working. They need your medical records to decide whether they are going to pay benefits or not.
If you have been injured, the insurance adjuster or case manager will probably ask you to sign a Form WC-207. The first question that you have when you receive this form is probably whether you have to sign it or not.
Generally, your medical records are private and confidential. Fortunately, Georgia has strong medical privacy rights. Unfortunately, some
of your medical records will not be private when you are hurt at work. You have an obligation to allow the insurance company to get some of your medical records when you are hurt on the job.
Georgia workers’ compensation law allows the insurance company to get medical records that are relevant. That basically means they can get medical records that have to do with your injury.
Should I sign the Form WC-207
The Georgia Workers’ Compensation Act provides that an injured worker has to provide a medical authorization for certain medical records when the insurance company requests it. The Form WC-207 is a medical authorization that covers the records that must be provided.
You have to let the insurance company get two types of records. The first type is the records for your injury.
Let’s say you hurt your back. You get treatment for your back injury with an occupational clinic, an orthopedic clinic, an MRI facility, and a physical therapist. If requested, you would need to sign Form WC-207s for each of those medical providers since they provided treatment for your injury.
You also have to let the insurance company get medical records for “conditions or complaints reasonably related to the condition” for which you are claiming benefits. This rule is not as clear as the first. It likely covers any medical records for treatment for prior medical treatment to the same part of your body as the work injury.
Using the back injury example above, you would likely have to provide a Form WC-207 for any other medical providers who had provided treatment for a back condition prior to or after your work injury. If you have had prior treatment to the same part of your body as your work injury, you should probably read our article about preexisting conditions.
Should I sign a blank Form WC-207?
No. You only have to provide medical records for treatment of your injury or conditions or complaints reasonably related to your injury.
The medical provider should be listed in the big box that says “TO:” toward the upper left of the form. That box is pictured below:
The safest thing to do is sign a separate Form WC-207 for each medical provider. If you provide a blank Form WC-207, the insurance company could fill in the name of any doctor they wanted and send it. They might get medical records that should be kept private.
