Who Is Calling?
Sometimes it’s important to ask who is calling, right. In a recent ProPublica article, the insane world of the vendors for workers’ compensation claims is explored. If you are hurt at work you are just thinking that you need medical treatment. You probably never think about all of the parties involved. Who is calling me? Who is trying to take a piece of the “pie” so to speak? Unfortunately, all of these people result in too many “cooks in the kitchen.” Instead of facilitating claims, this can make things even more difficult.
Middlemen
Specifically, there are middlemen involved such as people to manage the claims, negotiate medical bills (none of which an injured worker should have to deal with”. However, there are also many intermediaries such as scheduling services, nurse case managers, transportation services, etc. In one particular claim, I have there is a nurse case manager involved who are dealing with One Call (who schedules appointments), who then calls the separate transportation company. This is not to mention the adjuster handling the claim and the injured worker’s attorney (myself). So something as simple as getting a prescription authorized or transportation provided has to go through four different channels. How does this make this easier on the injured worker? In short, it doesn’t.
For more information on nurse case managers, read this article.
Workers’ Compensation Claim
If you have filed a workers’ compensation claim, do not be surprised if you are contacted by a service that is trying to schedule your appointments, arrange transportation, etc. While these are supposed to facilitate the claims I find that more often than not the more people involved with a claim, the more confusion results. Unfortunately, in Georgia, we cannot always refuse their services so please consult an attorney immediately if you are contacted.
