Illinois Lawyer Referrals and Legal Guidance
Medical Treatment and Illinois Work Injuries
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If you have an Illinois workers' compensation claim, your employer or their insurance company must pay for 100% of all reasonable and related medical expenses, with no co-pays or out of pocket expenses. In other words, if you hurt your back on the job, it would be reasonable to go to the emergency room, get x-rays, be referred to physical therapy, etc. and all of that treatment would be related to your injury. However, if they ordered an MRI of your brain, that would not likely be related or if you went to an alternative medicine doctor who prescribed $500.00 a glass herbal tea, that would likely not be considered reasonable. If it's reasonable and related, it should be paid for.
It's arguable what's reasonable and what's not, but typically it involves medically accepted procedures. As far as whether or not your treatment is related to your Illinois work injury, that is either obvious (you fall off a roof at work and go to the hospital) or a question for your doctor (you get diagnosed with carpal tunnel and your doctor states it is in part because of how much you type).
Once you begin receiving medical treatment, there are some limits as to the number of providers you can see at your employer's expense. You are entitled to two "chains of referral". For example, you fall off a roof and break your leg resulting in an ambulance ride to the ER. The hospital refers you for follow up treatment to your family physician. That doctor sends you to an orthopedic doctor. He ends up sending you out for a MRI and later for physical therapy. You develop RSD so your orthopedic doctor sends you to a pain management specialist. That would be considered one referral under Illinois law.
Under the same scenario, you could choose to seek a second opinion through a different pain doctor, but not from a referral. That would start a whole second chain no matter how many other medical providers this new doctor referred you to. All of this treatment would be covered if it is reasonable and related. It is your right to seek a second medical opinion if you are hurt on the job and receive Illinois work comp benefits.
If you decided to get a third opinion that started a new chain, your employer would not be responsible for any of that treatment even if it was reasonable and related. The bottom line is that if you want to seek a second or especially a third opinion, you should seek a referral, even if that means asking for family doctor to refer you to a physician that you have in mind.
Findgreatlawyers.com helps people looking for Illinois workers compensation attorneys for any area of Illinois. Since 2001 we have been the leading authority to find an Illinois lawyer and obtain legal guidance.
If you would like to hire an attorney or ask questions about Illinois workers' compensation laws, please contact us. If your questions deal with an Illinois work injury we know of no attorney that would charge for a consultation and every lawyer in Illinois is required to take a work injury case on a contingency basis.