Description
A treating doctor submitted the following question about problems he has had referring injured workers to specialists for surgical consultations. My answer follows: Q: I keep having problems making referrals for orthopedic or surgical consults when taking over as treating doctor after the patient first treats at an employer or carrier-recommended facility. That facility made a previous referral but the patient doesn't want to continue care with these doctors. What can I do? A: This is a preauthorization issue. The Official Disability Guidelines do recommend orthopedic and surgical consultations. For a low back injury, the ODG suggests such a referral on the second visit in some cases; for a neck injury the referral is recommended as early as the first visit if there are neurological symptoms. The issue here is not whether the consult itself is necessary. The problem is that it has already occurred as a referral from the company doctor.
Matt Lewis Law - Surgery Referrals From A Texas Workers' Comp Treating Doctor
