Archive for December, 2012

OWCP doctors and Second Opinion examinations

Monday, December 17th, 2012

There is often a lot of confusion about the difference in a federal doctor from an OWCP doctor, a District Medical Advisor, and a second opinion or referee doctor. Hopefully, this article will shed some light on the differences and help you understand why having a doctor that understands how the OWCP works to treat you is so important.

The terms ‘federal doctor’ and ‘OWCP doctor’ do not actually define how a doctor practices medicine. They are terms used by people within the federal community to denote a physician that has special understanding or familiarity with the Office of Workers Compensation Programs and their procedures. Those terms help you know which doctors might be helpful with your injury claim.

However, it is important to be careful and understand that sometimes the term ‘OWCP doctor’ might insinuate that the doctor works for the federal government. The OWCP does not directly employ any physicians that actually examine claimants. However, some doctors are occasionally contracted to see a federal claimant for a second opinion or referee exam.

When the medical evidence in you federal workers compensation claim are not sufficient to make a decision on the case, the claims examiner may schedule an appointment for you to see one of those contract doctors. Often those doctors do not establish a patient/doctor relationship and simply render an opinion based on the questions asked by the claims examiner. This is not your doctor. Some may be helpful, but often they are making a determination on the merits of your case with a 1o minute exam and may not be able to give your case the time that it deserves.

Similarly, a referee doctor is used as a third and final say when two doctors have a disagreement about your medical file. They may choose to side with your treating doctor, or the second opinion doctor. Sometimes they even come up with their own opinion that is different entirely.

Understanding the differences between these terms is important for any federal employee that has an ongoing workers comp file. FedDoctor is always looking to find doctors that understand the federal workers compensation system and can help you get the treatment and documentation that you need. Keep checking back and share this information with your fellow federal employees. We want the federal employee to be informed on their medical care rights and understand that their health care choices make a difference when it comes to a workers compensation claim.

Why doesn’t FedDoctor have federal doctors everywhere?

Friday, December 14th, 2012

Thanks to a recent comment on our Facebook page, (please Like!) we thought it would be a good idea to inform our subscribers and viewers to learn about why FedDoctor doesn’t have a federal doctor in every city.

First, FedDoctor would love to bring that type of coverage to the entire country and we are actively looking for new federal doctors all of the time. We want every federal employee with a workers compensation injury to get top quality medical care in their local commuting area.

Because the federal government workers compensation system and OWCP have made the process of treating patients more difficult than simply visiting a doctor under your private health insurance, many doctors make a business decision to not accept OWCP as a form of payment. Additionally, the federal workers comp system requires an unusually high volume of paperwork and documentation. Many doctors are not interested in committing the massive amount of time necessary to fully understand all that is required to successfully treat and help federal employees with work related injuries.

This leaves a void for the federal compensation claimant. Finding a doctor that is willing to take on the OWCP and also understands the paperwork and billing differences can be difficult, especially if the state that they practice in has significantly different laws. It would be like learning a new language.

To make it even harder for the doctor to justify the time necessary to help federal claimants the right way, there are far fewer federal employees than non-federal. Only 1 in 50 working Americans may even be covered under the OWCP. It would follow that only 1 in 50 doctors, within a specialty, would consider the focus on a federal practice a prudent business decision.

That is why the doctors on this site are so helpful. They dedicate an enormous amount of time to understanding the OWCP and the federal workers compensation rules and regulations.

Help us find more doctors that want to help federal employees! If you are treating with a great doctor for an ongoing federal workers compensation claim, give us their name and we will contact them about their interest in expanding their practice even more! Ask your coworkers and union members who they see when they get hurt on the job. We want to have doctors on this site for every federal employee!

 

More federal doctors in Oklahoma

Saturday, December 1st, 2012

FedDoctor.com is please to announce the addition of federal doctors’ offices in Oklahoma.

At Rehabilitation of Oklahoma, Dr. Stephen Wilson has been treating federal employees that have ongoing OWCP claims in Tulsa and Oklahoma City for years and has two brand new offices in those communities. He has years of experience and a wealth of knowledge about how the Office of Workers Compensation Programs works and understands that the reports that he produces are vital to your claim’s success.

Dr. Wilson also devotes an extraordinary amount of time to staying in tune with the latest requirements of the OWCP with regards to impairment ratings and evaluations. He has a command of the 6th Edition of the AMA Guides to Rating Permanent Impairment and can help you with your schedule award claim.

The Broadway Clinic of Oklahoma City also provides excellent treatment options for federal employees in the OKC area. Dr. J. Arden Blough has spent years learning the intricacies of the federal workers compensation system and in well versed in both the treatment and the documentation of a claim. Broadway Clinic can perform independent medical evaluations and impairment ratings to help you get the best documentation for your schedule award claim.

FedDoctor.com works hard to make sure that federal employees have a place to go to find competent, quality care from a federal doctor that understands the OWCP and the requirements set for physicians who treat federal patients. We are proud that Oklahoma is home to such quality care providers. Check out their listings and make an appointment today.

 

 

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