EMERGENCY MEDICAL TREATMENT

You are usually required to obtain approval from your employer or their Louisiana Workers Compensation insurance company before your first appointment with any new doctors or hospitals. If you do not contact your employer (or their insurer) before beginning treatment with each health care provider, your employer's responsibility for the charges incurred with each health care provider may be limited to only $750.00. You or the health care provider may be responsible for the additional charges. In fact, you may be responsible for the full cost if it's established that you did not have a genuine medical emergency.

As a practical matter, most doctors and hospitals require verification of billing arrangements before providing treatment, but it's the injured employee's responsibility to verify that payment arrangements have been made.

Some people are accustomed to receiving most of their medical treatment through a hospital's Emergency Room. In a Louisiana Workers Compensation claim, it's usually difficult to get ongoing medical treatment through the Emergency Room because your employer will be responsible for the cost of treatment provided on an emergency basis only if the treating physician certifies that you had a genuine medical emergency.

It's best to attend regular appointments with your treating physician at the doctor's office rather than relying upon the Emergency Room for treatment. Nonetheless, if your have a genuine medical emergency, you should not hesitate to get treatment immediately.

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