Illinois workers' compensation- company doctors
It's not uncommon if you get hurt on the job in Illinois for your company to send you to one of their doctors. This could be for a one time independent medical examination or it could be a company clinic. There are two important things to know about this.
1. You don't have to receive treatment with their doctor on an ongoing basis, but you can. You are allowed two choices of physicians in an Illinois work comp case and since they are sending you to that doctor that is not considered one of your choices.
2. If their doctor says your injury is work related, you need surgery, etc., the opinion of that doctor is held against the company. It's not a slam dunk that a Judge would agree with that opinion, but that is usually the case unless one of your choices says something different. We often see a company doctor go against the company and then the insurance carrier tries to send you to another doctor to fight that opinion. Technically they can do this, but it is seen as "doctor shopping" and would work against them at trial. In fact while we don't guarantee a result, we have never lost a case where the company doctor was in the corner of our clients.
If your company wants to send you to a doctor of their choosing you should go, be honest and after it's over write down what happened. A lot of our clients report that an independent medical examination took less than five minutes and that the doctor hardly asked any questions and didn't perform much of an exam. These same doctors are the first to say whatever the company wants them to say.
Again, we can't guarantee a result, but we find that when our clients testify as to what really happened at these quick exams as compared with their doctor who spent more time with them, things usually work out for the best.
We are workers' compensation attorneys that help people with Illinois work injuries anywhere in IL via our statewide network of attorneys. Contact Us and we will answer your questions or find the right lawyer for your situation.
