What is Workers Comp? If you get hurt at work, can you get paid while off work? Can you see your own doctor and make the company pay the bill? Can they harass or fire you for getting hurt at work?
For many workplace injuries, particularly occupational diseases, symptoms of an injury develop over time.
To find a workers comp doctor follow the link provided.After an employee files a workers’ compensation claim, medical treatment can suddenly change.
This can be a shocking transition for employees who have developed a trusting relationship with their personal physician.Workers’ Compensation TreatmentUnder New Jersey law, because employers are responsible for providing medical care to employees who are injured on the job, employers are also entitled to pick the medical professional or medical group that they authorize to provide treatment to the injured employee.
This means that employees are typically referred to “the company doctor.”The company doctor can take many forms, depending on the employer’s medical plan.
This can be- an in-house physician if the company is particularly large - a local hospital or medical practice - a walk-in clinic - a general practitioner practicing on his own The only requirement under New Jersey law is that the employer furnish medical services that can promptly “cure and relieve” the worker’s injuries and restore the worker to a condition where he or she can work again.If you are dealing with a specialized injury, New Jersey’s workers’ compensation provides that you will likely have to get a referral from your initial treating physician in order to see a specialized doctor or get special diagnostic care.Employees typically can only see their own personal physicians in two scenarios: (1) they receive special authorization from their employer to continue to receive care from an existing physician or to see a personal doctor or (2) the employer fails to provide the necessary care.
Employers have a clear financial interest in minimizing the amount of medical care that they are required to pay for, which often means minimizing the injury that a worker is experiencing.While physicians who are provided by an employer usually do not work directly for the employer, employers are often incentivized to pick physicians who are likely to act favorably for them.
