Blog Topic

Workers' Compensation

Workers' Compensation Physician Selection
Posted by: Matt O'Brien
July 14, 2008

If an individual is injured at work, it is important to seek an attorney's counsel quickly for many different reasons. One of the main reasons concerns the injured worker and the medical care he or she will receive through the workers' compensation system. The beginning of a workers' compensation case is crucial: following the injury, the injured worker is sent to receive care with a physician selected by the workers' compensation insurance carrier..

What is the Colorado DIME Process?
Posted by: Michael Kaplan
July 14, 2008

According to Colorado Workers' Compensation rules of procedure, after an injured worker is placed at maximum medical improvement (MMI), released from care and given an impairment rating by their authorized workers' compensation physician, the worker has the right to challenge those opinions by going through the Colorado Division Independent Medical Examination (DIME) process. The DIME process is where a separate and independent physician reviews the injured worker's medical records and performs a thorough exam of the body part(s) that were affected by the work-related injury. For all intents and purposes, the DIME physician is the means in which the injured worker gets a second opinion. The DIME physician will address MMI, impairment and apportionment. Also inherent to the DIME's opinions is the issue of causation. In other words, the DIME will determine what the cause was for the work-related conditions.

Workers' Compensation Choice of Physician Rule
Posted by: Matt O'Brien
July 14, 2008

Recently, I have received several questions regarding the new "choice of physician" rule in workers' compensation cases in Colorado. Many of my workers' compensation clients have asked me if this means they can choose any doctor they like. The simple answer to that is: maybe.

Colorado Workers' Compensation System Conflicts
Posted by: Michael Sawaya
July 09, 2008

It has been said that over 60,000 workers' compensation claims are filed in Colorado yearly and only 10% of whom seek an attorney's assistance with the same.

Unfortunately, the Colorado Workers' Compensation system is far from perfect; there is an inherent conflict of interest within the system. That conflict stems from greed. Big business is very concerned with its "bottom line" and covets as much control as possible in order to protect that line.