Legal Question in Workers Comp in Florida
rights to choosing a new doctor and or second opinion
I am 49 & have been hurt since 87' when I broke my back on the job. Requiring a triple spinal fusion. The pain & nerve damage was so severe I had a Medtronic pump installed to control the pain. It changed my life. After moving to this area I was assigned a new dr. by w/c. The dr. started messing with my meds from the start. Now something has gone terribly wrong. He ran a few tests & couldn't see anything wrong so he is doing nothing ! It is not the pain I usually feel from my injury only much worse but more spinal related. I had a problem 1 time before that felt just like this. The catheter tip that feeds the meds right in to my spinal canal had come dislodged. So I KNOW it has something to do with my spine because this is all spinal related pain. I need to know what my rights are as far as IF I can change dr.s & if I have the right to seek a second opinion to help find what my problem is. I have NEVER settled with w/c & NEVER will. Please help with any information possible. ASAP
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: rights to choosing a new doctor and or second opinion
YOu certainly may have the right to change the doctor, and many times, the insurance ocmpanies, in older cases such as these, will do things to try to convince you to settle or make things difficult on you. The absolute best advice I can give you is to GET AN ATTORNEY RIGHT AWAY!! Do not pass go, do not collect $200. From what you describe, this is serious, and the insurance company cannot stop treating you for a condition they have accepted for over 20 years.
Let me know if you need any further assistance