Can I choose my own doctor for medical treatment?

This is a great question since medical treatment forms the cornerstone of federal workers’ compensation. It is vital to note that your choice of physician is regulated or controlled up to a certain extent. However, upon filing an injury report, you can choose your own doctor so that medical care can begin immediately. In addition, you can choose a clinic, ER or hospital, as well as any other medical provider as long as they possess the necessary qualifications. During this stage, you’re free to choose these facilities and health providers without getting approval from OWCP.

However, all future medical appointments and procedures after the case is accepted must go through OWCP particularly when you are looking to change hospitals or medical providers. This approval may be given only if you have a reasonable and valid reason for the change in providers, such as needing to consult with a specialist to get to the root of your injury or health condition. We must emphasize here that you must wait for OWCP’s physician or health provider’s change approval before you start seeing them because if they do not approve, they may not pay for this new service.

In some cases, your condition or injury may require a second opinion. This evaluation will be authorized and paid for by OWCP as having this second opinion helps with legitimizing your claim. Unfortunately, this will be a doctor of their choosing.

Proper and comprehensive medical treatment is essential when it comes to navigating the sometimes complex world of federal workers’ compensation. We have all the resources and knowledge to help you make good health decisions going forward, so it is important to not only liaise with your OWCP claims examiner, but also with us, your federal workers’ compensation attorneys in order to not only receive quality healthcare, but also make sure that your life continues on, undisrupted from this major life health event: call us NOW at 312-444-0214 for more info.