Medical Treatment After a Workplace Injury in Burbank

A workplace injury can require more than an initial examination. You might need ongoing appointments or physical therapy before you can safely return to work. Workers’ compensation benefits can cover the medical treatment you reasonably need to cure or relieve the effects of your work-related injury.

Receiving medical treatment after a workplace injury in Burbank involves rules governing which doctor treats you and whether a claims administrator authorizes recommended care. When disagreements arise, delays can interfere with your recovery. At LNN, our workers’ comp attorneys can help you understand the workers’ compensation medical treatment process and challenge improper obstacles to necessary care.

Who Chooses Your Doctor for Workplace Injury Medical Care?

Whether you can choose your own doctor for treatment of a Burbank workplace injury depends partly on if your employer or its workers’ compensation insurer uses a medical provider network (MPN). This is an approved network of providers available to treat employees with job-related injuries.

When an MPN applies to your claim, your treatment generally must remain within that network unless an exception applies. The employer or claims administrator may direct your initial treatment. After the first visit, however, you may generally select another available physician within the MPN.

Different rules apply if, before your injury occurred, you properly predesignated your personal physician and met state requirements. If you disagree with an MPN doctor, procedures exist for obtaining additional medical opinions within the network. Our lawyers can review whether all parties are following provider-selection rules and help you address problems that interfere with appropriate care.

How Utilization Review Can Delay or Deny Your Care

Even when your treating physician recommends specific medical treatment, the state does not automatically authorize workplace injury care in Burbank. Workers’ compensation claims administrators use a process known as utilization review (UR) to decide whether proposed medical treatment is medically necessary.

Your treating physician generally submits a request for authorization describing the recommended care, and the UR process evaluates that request under medical treatment guidelines. The claims administrator can approve, modify, or deny the request based on the medical review.

A denial does not necessarily mean that no further options exist. When a UR denies or modifies treatment as medically unnecessary, you can seek an independent medical review. Strict deadlines apply, so ignoring a denial notice could affect your ability to contest the decision. At LNN, we could examine the request and the review decision to see what steps are available.

Responding To Delays or Denials of Workplace Injury Treatment

Under California Labor Code § 4600, an employer must provide the medical treatment a Burbank workplace injury reasonably requires to cure or relieve its effects. When there are delays or denials of treatment, determining why is an important first step.

A delay can involve a dispute over authorization rather than a disagreement about whether the injury happened at work. In other situations, the treating physician may need to provide additional medical information supporting the requested care.

Keep copies of treatment requests and the written decisions about your medical care. These records can help our lawyers identify where process has stalled and whether further action is appropriate. Depending on the circumstances, resolving a treatment dispute can involve an independent medical review or enforcing other rights available through the workers’ compensation system.

Contact LNN in Burbank To Get Help With Workplace Injury Medical Care

Access to appropriate care can affect both your recovery and the progression of your workers’ compensation claim. We can help you determine if an insurer is properly applying MPN rules or whether you can challenge a denial.

If you are having difficulty obtaining medical treatment after a workplace injury in Burbank, our lawyers at LNN could review your claim, explain the applicable medical treatment procedures, and advocate for your rights under state law. Contact LNN today to discuss your situation.