Good Doctor Communication Is Essential For Workers Comp
Brian O Sutter
Personal Injury
It’s understandable why most Americans don’t look forward to a visit with the doctor. We’re now living in a period where medical payment is becoming increasingly uncertain, and, while a doctor is clearly not responsible for it, people associate doctors with bad news. Once you’re in a situation where you need to visit a doctor, the first two questions uppermost in people’s minds is “How bad is my problem,” and “How much is this going to cost?”When you take a visit to the doctor and transfer this over to more specific situations, such as getting diagnosed and evaluated for an injury acquired at work, things get more complicated. Now, it’s not just a simple matter of being informed of what your medical issue is. It is also about making sure that every possibility has been documented and considered in order to make sure you qualify for workers compensation. And if you fail to communicate clearly and honestly with your doctor, it could get your workers comp denied.
Inaccuracies Lead To Inconsistencies
This is why, if you are injured at work, and see the company’s designated medical services to be evaluated, it is critically important that you be honest and up-front about your medical concerns. If you try to “tough it out,” and get back to work as quickly as possible, downplaying possible medical conditions, you could severely impact your chances to workers compensation when you actually need it.
For example, if you’re working in a factory when a malfunction at the equipment causes a short circuit that causes you to fall from your station and hit your head, you may lose consciousness. After the incident, while being examined by the doctor, you decide that while it was a bad fall, you only suffered a bump on the head, and despite the dizziness, slight nausea, and forgetfulness you’re experiencing, you’re sure you can “walk it off.” You tell the doctor this and you are cleared and diagnosed with nothing more serious than a slight concussion because you didn’t mention the other symptoms.
Later, as the weeks pass, your symptoms grow worse, to the point where you find you are unable to carry out normal activities. You go to your own doctor to get diagnosed again, this time being honest about your symptoms, only to find that you have a traumatic brain injury that has gone untreated. Now, because you withheld this information from the company doctor, despite the fact that you may no longer be able to work, your decision to not be honest has cost you. The official doctor that could have recommended proper workers compensation for you was unable to make the diagnosis that could have entitled you to that compensation. If you at-tempt to get the compensation now, the company can point out that you claimed this wasn’t an issue earlier, and if you had legitimately been concerned about your health, you would have been more communicative with the doctor about your concerns.
It’s in situations like this where you should think about getting good legal advice. Consult with a workers comp lawyer if you have any questions about workers compensation, or what you can do to get it if you’re in a situation where your claim is being denied.