Immediate medical treatment
	Your doctor as your "attending physician"
	Your doctor’s role
	Changing doctors
	Employers covered by managed care organization (MCO) contracts
	Employer or insurer representative attending medical examinations
	Independent medical examinations (IME)
	Worker requested medical examinations
	What treatment is covered, what’s not?
	Elective surgery
	Your responsibilities
	Medically stationary
	Additional medical care after becoming medically stationary
	If your condition gets worse – aggravation rights
	Curative and palliative care
	Prescriptions

Immediate medical treatment
Go to your regular health care provider, an urgent-care clinic, or a hospital emergency room, depending on the extent of your injury. Tell the health care provider or intake person that you were injured on the job. Remember that no medical bills will be paid by the insurer until you file a workers’ compensation claim (Form 801) with your employer and your claim is accepted. If your claim is denied, you or your private health insurer will be responisible for the bills.

Your doctor as your "attending physician"
Unless the insurer has enrolled you in a managed care organization (discussed below), you may be treated by any health care provider who qualifies as an attending physician under Oregon law. Your health care provider is supposed to tell you if there are any limits to the services he or she can provide.

Your provider’s role
Your health care provider is in charge of your medical treatment. Only your doctor can authorize time off work, reduced work hours or duties, or release you to go back to work.

Changing doctors
You may change doctors two times. Additional changes require approval from the insurer or the Workers’ Compensation Division. If you do change health care providers, fill out Form 827 at your health care provider’s office. Check the box “Notice of change of attending physician.” If you are treated by a health care provider on an emergency or “on-call” basis, or if your health care provider refers you to a specialist but remains primarily responsible for your care, these do not count as changes. If you are enrolled in a managed care organization (MCO), your rights may differ. Contact the MCO if you have questions.

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Employers covered by managed care organization (MCO) contracts
If your employer is covered by an MCO contract, the insurer may enroll you with the MCO at any time after your injury, and you may be required to pick an MCO doctor. The insurer will give you a list of providers with the enrollment notice. Until you are enrolled, any health care provider may treat you if he or she qualifies as an attending physician. After enrollment, if you have a regular doctor who is a family practitioner, general practitioner, or internal medicine specialist, he or she may continue to treat you if treatment is provided according to the MCO contract.

Employer or insurer representative attending medical examinations
It is up to you whether to allow an employer or an insurer representative to attend your medical examination. It requires your written consent. You have the right to refuse such attendance. Your benefits cannot be reduced or stopped if you refuse to allow a representative to attend.

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Independent medical examinations (IME)
The insurer may require you to attend medical examinations with doctors it chooses. Workers’ compensation benefits may be stopped if you fail to attend these examinations. However, they can only require you to attend 3 IME's in each open period of a claim. Invasive procedures cannot be performed without your consent and your benefits cannot be reduced or stopped if you decline invasive procedures. If you need advance payment of your costs to attend the examination, be sure to request the advance as soon as possible. The insurer pays all costs for the medical examination. You may have a family member or friend accompany you during the examination, if you have the signed observer form and give it to the health care provider. However, health care provider approval is required for an observer in psychological exams. The insurer will not pay any expenses for the family member or friend. If you disagree with the number of exams the insurer has required you to attend, you can request the Workers' Compensation Division to review. Call 503-947-7590, select option 2.

Worker requested medical examinations
If your claim has been denied by the insurer based on an insurer medical examination (IME), and your doctor (attending physician) disagrees with the IME results, you may be eligible to request a medical examination by a doctor chosen by the Workers’ Compensation Division. In order to be eligible for this exam, you must appeal your denied claim in writing within 60 days of the denial. After you have requested an appeal on the denial, you may send a written request for an exam to WCD, address to the Resolution Team. A copy of your request should be sent simultaneously to the insurer or self-insured employer. The request must include:

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What treatment is covered, what’s not?
If your claim is accepted, the insurer will pay for all injury-related medical treatment and prescription drugs. This does not necessarily include elective surgery (surgery that is not an emergency). If you disagree with the insurer, contact the medical section, resolution team at 503-947-7816, select option 2.

Elective surgery
This is surgery that is not an emergency. Your doctor is required to notify the insurer before performing elective surgery, and the insurer may require a second opinion. (MCO procedures may differ.) If your doctor and the insurer don’t agree about the need for surgery, the insurer may ask the Workers’ Compensation Division to review the need for surgery and determine if the insurer is required to pay for it. If you disagree with the insurer, contact the medical section, resolution team at 503-947-7816, select option 2.


Your responsibilities
You must keep all of your medical appointments. You must attend the insurer medical examination if one is scheduled. Read all the letters and notices about your claim – pay attention to instructions about medical appointments. Failure to attend medical appointments may result in the loss of your benefits.

Medically stationary
The term “medically stationary” means that your condition or injury is not expected to get better with further treatment or the passage of time. When your doctor determines that you are medically stationary, the insurer will close your claim. The insurer will, however, continue to pay for prescriptions and some other medical services.

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Additional medical care after becoming medically stationary
After you are medically stationary, the insurer is responsible for future medical services with some limitations. The insurer is responsible to cover the costs of compensible medical services such as prescription drugs, diagnostic care, life-preserving care, and some other services related to your accepted conditions. Some medical costs are not covered after you are medically stationary. Check with the insurer to find out what services are covered. Palliative care, a medical service that makes you feel better but doesn’t heal your condition, is covered if you are working and need the care to continue working or while you attend vocational training. This care is covered only if approved by the insurer or the Workers’ Compensation Division. Curative care may also be covered because of your accepted conditions.

If your condition gets worse – aggravation rights
If your accepted condition gets worse after you become medically stationary, you may file a claim for “aggravation” to have your claim reopened. You must fill out Form 827 at your doctor’s office and check the box on the form that says “Report of aggravation of original injury.” Your doctor will send this form to the insurer along with medical reports.

Your right to reopen a claim, or your “aggravation” rights, end five years after your claim is closed (for a disabling claim) or five years after your date of injury (for a nondisabling claim.)

If your condition gets worse after your aggravation rights end
If after five years you cannot work because your condition worsens, and you need hospitalization, surgery, or other curative medical treatment to allow you to return to work, you must contact the insurer. The insurer may reopen your claim and pay you temporary disability compensation during your recovery, as authorized by your doctor.

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Curative and palliative care

Curative care is medical treatment to stabilize temporary symptoms after you’ve become medically stationary.

Palliative care is treatment to relieve pain but does not improve or cure your condition or injury.


Prescriptions
If the claim is accepted the insurer will pay for injury-related prescription drugs. Some insurers now pay pharmacies directly for drugs. Keep receipts of all out-of-pocket expenses. Send a written request for reimbursement with proof of expenses to the insurer within two years.

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