In many workers compensation cases, the insurance company (who is not on your side) will hire a nurse case manager to be involved in management of your medical treatment. Most nurse case managers are nice, compassionate, caring and will make an injured person feel good. But one has to ask: are they on the side of the patient or on the side of the insurance company that is paying them? A nurse case manager may be handy in scheduling appointments and keeping information flowing, but what happens when they meet with the doctor in private? Are they trying to maximize the value and remedy in your case, or are they trying to minimize the amount of money that the insurance company has to pay. The fact that the insurance company pays them to be there ought to make the answer to this question obvious.
Here’s the answer: NO. You have a right to privacy when you are hurt at work, even when the insurance company is paying your benefits, and even when the insurance company pays for your doctor bills. But it’s not as simple as telling the nurse case manager to buzz off. The Mississippi Workers Compensation commission has ruled that a nurse case manager can be involved, and the insurance company and its lawyers, nurses, and representatives can to talk to doctors with or without you around unless you exercise your right by filing what is known as a petition to controvert with the Commission. So if you play your cards right and find the right lawyer with the he right strategy, you can prevent a nurse case manager from meddling with your case and let the doctor make decisions independent of influence from the insurance company.
People are often scared, skeptical and downright opposed to hiring a lawyer. It makes them feel like they are in a fight they don’t want to be in. After all, if the insurance company is paying your benefits as required, why would you want to take a chance of messing that up? The answer is simple: insurance companies cannot withhold benefits just because you hired a lawyer. But a good lawyer can certainly hold their feet to the fire and make sure you get what you are really supposed to get without getting steered in the wrong direction by outside pressure. If you are one of those skeptics, I would recommend you take advantage of the free consultation our firm offers. The most important thing about the consultation is that it is confidential. Your boss and your insurance company will never know you got armed with some free advice. You do not have to hire a firm just because you consulted with one. Instead, you can find out real information and real long term solutions without any obligation or risk of retaliation.
Rogen K. Chhabra
For a free consultation to weigh your options and see if you really are being treated properly as they tell you that you are, contact the attorneys at Chhabra & Gibbs, P.A., at 601-948-8005 or by going to our website at http://www.cglawms.com.
