Injured workers involved in a workers’ compensation claim often receive notice from the Department of Labor and Industries instructing them to schedule and complete an independent medical examination (IME). The reason cited by L&I, as well as many other private insurance companies, is that the IME allows a doctor other than the worker’s primary provider to give their opinion about the worker’s medical condition. Yet in reality, the independent medical examination can often be a … [Read more...]
The vast number of U.S. workers claim to periodically suffer from depression, anxiety and stress; moreover, every year an alarming percent are diagnosed with chronic mental health issues related to these conditions. However, as with all mental health problems, the symptoms can manifest at the physical as well as emotional level. The physical responses to excessive fear and anxiety can trigger chain reaction of pathological episodes by activating the amygdala of the brain (the region … [Read more...]
In Washington State, workers have the right to choose their own doctor (often the patient’s family doctor) to administer care for a work injury. Within the Department of Labor and Industries, and the workers’ compensation system, that provider becomes your “treating doctor.” Yet there are cases where an employer or insurance provider may choose an alternative doctor to complete an “independent medical examination” (IME). According to the workers’ rights advocacy group known as … [Read more...]
In the state of Washington, workers you have the right to choose their own doctor (or remain with their regular family physician) while receiving treatment for a work injury. Yet in some cases an employer or insurance provider will select a different doctor for an “independent medical examination” (IME). According to the workers’ group National Association of Injured & Disabled Workers (NAIDW), IMEs are used for three reasons: “to determine the cause, extent and medical … [Read more...]
Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries has now begun to accept applications for the state workers’ compensation medical network, which will launch in 2013. Network providers will give medical care to injured workers covered by L&I policies as well as those with self-insured employers. Starting in January of 2013, certain providers that practice medicine in Washington state will be required to participate in the network in order to treat injured workers beyond the initial … [Read more...]
