Under the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act, the insurance carrier has 30 days to either pay a medical bill for treatment related to a work injury, or file for Utilization Review (to challenge whether such treatment is reasonable and necessary). The question, at times, is whether the treatment is “related” to…
We often have issues regarding whether a particular medical expense is payable by the workers’ compensation insurance carrier. The issue could be whether it is a “medical” treatment at all, whether it is related to the work injury, or whether it is “reasonable or necessary.” A recent case from the…
When an injured worker in Pennsylvania hurts his or her spine, there are many diagnostic tests that a doctor may prescribe. Sometimes, the doctors do not fully explain what a test is, or what it may show. We believe that an injured worker should be fully informed, whether as to…
We have previously discussed on this blog the difficulties in differentiating shoulder injuries to injured workers, noting that according to medical literature, several conditions can account for similar symptoms in a similar area. Some recent articles have now shed light on some difficulties in diagnosing a concussion versus a whiplash…
We have discussed the Utilization Review (UR) process many times in this blog. Indeed, UR is such a big issue in the world of Pennsylvania workers’ compensation that we have a section on our website devoted to just this topic. Basically, UR is the tool used by either an injured…
How many times must an injured worker in PA hear something like, “Why are you still out of work – it was just a bruise?” What is not widely understood is that a bruise, or a contusion, can, indeed, be a serious injury with very severe consequences. Recently, we saw…
The vast majority of work injuries in Pennsylvania heal with conservative treatment, allowing the injured worker to return both to work, as well as to activities of normal life. However, there are certainly the more serious injuries, where more invasive medical treatment is required. Often the more invasive treatment options…
While we are very conscious of being available to our clients as much as possible, the practice of PA workers’ compensation law, and the litigation process, means we are not always in our offices. Sometimes, in addition to being at workers’ compensation hearings and depositions, our attorneys attend events or…
As far back as 2008, our blog reported on a marked increase in the number of total knee replacements that were being performed. This trend seems to have been continuing, and, perhaps, not for the best. According to a recent article in The Intelligencer, a rather high number of patients…
Did you know that an injured worker in Pennsylvania can choose his or her own doctor? There is a common misunderstanding in the general public that the workers’ compensation insurance carrier can dictate the medical treatment of an injured worker. While a workers’ comp insurance company MAY be able to…