Off The Record – Workers’ Comp – Importance of Medical Records

Video Transcript

Hi, I’m Bill Turley with the law firm of Turley Redmond & Rosasco. I’m here to talk to you today about the importance of seeking medical care after you’ve had an on-the-job injury.

Now, typically, when someone gets hurt on the job, they’re gonna seek urgent care or they’re gonna go to a hospital emergency room. And that is probably the most advisable thing to do to just, you know, try to get in to see somebody as soon as possible. And they have these urgent care centers all over Long Island and the city. Some of them are like CityMD. I know Northwell has urgent care centers. That’s probably the best thing to do. Or, again, you can go to a hospital emergency room for your initial treatment. But you’re also gonna have to follow up with a doctor who accepts workers’ compensation and who’s gonna be willing to treat you under workers’ compensation.

And by the time you’ve reached that point where you’re ready to see, you know, a specialist, whether it’s an orthopedist or a neurologist or whatever, you’re probably gonna have more information about your case, typically, a claim number, a claims adjuster, and you’re probably also gonna have a number that the Workers’ Compensation Board is gonna assign to your claim. Your doctor is gonna need all of these things so that they can move forward with your treatment plan.

And when you do follow up with a physician treating you for your work-related injury, you should see the doctor every 45 days, so that you can document your disability or your injury, okay? And especially if you’re out of work, if you’re not working and you’re claiming benefits, you should see that doctor at least every four to six weeks. The doctor will also probably put you under some kind of treatment plan, either physical therapy or they might recommend chiropractic or something like that. So, again, it is important that you seek immediate attention and that you follow up with a specialist who accepts workers’ compensation insurance.

If you have any questions about medical care and a workers’ compensation claim or anything else involving workers’ compensation, please give us a call at 631-582-3700 or visit us on the web at www.nydisabilitylaw.com. Thank you. This is Bill Turley, and thanks for listening.