Should Insurance Companies in Mississippi Be Allowed to Use an Employer Medical Examination to Prevent Injured Workers From Receiving Medical Treatment

by Jay Foster, Mississippi Workers Compensation Attorney

    Whether a Mississippi Workers Compensation insurance company should be able to limit or eliminate an injured worker's medical treatment based on an employer's medical examination is one of the key issues facing injured Mississippi workers.  As a Mississippi Workers Compensation Attorney, I see this issue repeatedly.

    What insurance companies may not realize is that if an injured worker has a bulging disc in their back or neck, quick treatment may eliminate the potential long-term consequences of the injury.  In fact, if the injured Mississippi employee gets quick treatment, it is possible that they may return to work without any restrictions.  However, once the insurance company starts the battle of obtaining an employer's medical examination of the injured worker by sending the employee to their doctor, medical treatment may be denied.

    If the insurance companies doctor denies medical treatment, many times, the Administrative Law Judge will find that the medical treatment issue is a matter for trial.  The problem with this approach is that trial may be a year or more in the future.  In the meantime, the poor injured worker has to suffer without getting adequate medical treatment.  As a result, we now have a good employee who suffers an on the job injury which may be treatable but now, due to the insurance company's position, the injury may require surgery and may result in permanent, long-term work restrictions due to the lack of immediate medical treatment.  Certainly, this is not good for anyone.

    If you have questions about this or any other Mississippi worker's compensation injury claim, please call or email us.