Does the injured worker get to select his or her own physician?
In general, the answer is no. The employer or its workers’ compensation insurance company initially choose the doctor to treat the injured worker. If the worker is unhappy with the doctor chosen by the insurance company or wants to request a second opinion, we must ask the insurance company to provide the worker with another doctor. As a general rule, the injured worker cannot go to a doctor the insurance company has not approved. If an injured worker goes to his or her own doctor, he or she will probably end up responsible for payment of the bills.
