Initial Treatment
By X. Alex Carpio, Partner
As a workers’ compensation attorney I always look at the initial medical records. The initial records are probably the most important piece of information in any workers’ compensation case for two reasons.
1) The mechanism of injury – the initial record will let us know how the injury occurred and if it was at work. It’s important to report how you got hurt and that you were hurt at work.
2) Body parts injured – make sure you complain to the doctor about all the body parts you injured at work. This is important because the insurance company will focus on what you complained about initially. This is also important because insurance companies will deny in future treatment to any body parts you didn’t complain about initially.
It is important to let your doctor know what hurts at your first visit. Some medical providers will only focus on one body part and not list other problem areas. It’s imperative that you review the medical reports and ask your doctor to make any changes that are inaccurate. I have had many cases where the initial medical report fails to list how someone was hurt, what body parts were injured and fails to state it was a work injury. Make sure you get a copy of the initial medical record and request any corrections as it is your legal right.
