In the average workers’ compensation case, the words of the treating physician are sometimes just as important as those of the injured worker. Insurance companies often wait on the word of the initial treating physician before deciding to take the case any further. What are you supposed to do, then if your treating physician does not seem to be taking your injuries seriously?
If you are worried that your treating physician is not taking your work injuries as seriously as they should, then it might be time to consider switching to another treating physician. Depending on where you live, the process of changing your doctor mid-case will be different.
Signs that your treating physician might not be taking your injury or your case seriously include:
- They keep forgetting the details of your injury, like how or when it happened.
- They have mixed up your patient file with someone else’s at least once before.
- They downplay every complaint of symptoms or pain that you bring up.
- They will not prescribe new treatments or therapies even though your injury is not improving.
- They are pressuring you to return to work before your injury would reasonably allow it.
- They seem disinterested when you give them new information about your situation.
- They are terribly difficult to reach when trying to get another appointment or an update.
Your workers’ compensation case might just be another file for your treating physician, but it could be the difference between you living comfortably or not in the future. You shouldn’t accept half-hearted work from a doctor, especially not for such an important case. If your treating physician isn’t taking your case seriously, then you need to find a new treating physician.
Leonard Law Group helps clients in Chicago and Cook County with all aspects of workers’ compensation cases, including the steps needed to request a new treating physician in Illinois. Contact us today if you would like more information about our legal counsel.