Medical Treatment in Workers' Compensation

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Medical Treatment in Georgia

There are many different types of medical treatment in Georgia workers’ compensation. Unfortunately, your treatment under the workers’ compensation system is going to be different than if you were a patient under typical private insurance. Insured people with or without workers’ compensation insurance should all be treated the same. However, that is not a reality in Georgia.

Currently, under the Georgia workers’ compensation system there are very standard guidelines that providers will use to treat certain injuries. Depending on the MRI findings, there are a variety of treatment options. So, they usually follow the traditional methods involving rest, pain relievers, and physical therapy. Also, injections and surgery move up the options ladder after an MRI review. Unfortunately, you may have a positive MRI finding and that may not be the cause of the pain. This may result in a back surgery which is unsuccessful. Currently, some evidence written in recent articles shows that pain medicine is not the only answer to back pain.

Alternative Treatments

On one hand, effective treatments include chiropractic work. Chiropractic treatments focus on active release therapy consisting of deep tissue work, massage therapy, yoga, cupping, acupuncture, and acupressure. Also, new treatments exist such as plasma. On the other hand, covering these treatments under workers’ compensation is difficult. The panel of physicians used in workers’ compensation partners closely with the insurance companies. If the physicians start prescribing treatments the adjuster feels are experimental, they will not be invited back to the panel and lose business. Unfortunately, this is how the workers’ compensation system works in Georgia. Finally, it is critical to contact a workers’ compensation attorney who can help you navigate the panels and ensure that you have the best treatment options available.