I’m getting a lot of calls lately. Injured workers are worried. They have been sent to an"independent" medical evaluations. And, they have every reason to be concerned. If your insurance company is sending you to one of these doctors, then you should be worried too. The insurance company wants to cut off your benefits. And it hired Dr. Bauer or Dr. Youngblood to give them a reason. They don't care if you aren't finished treating. They don't care if you can't go back to work. They want to stop paying your disability and medical benefits.
Ain't Nothing "Independent" About Them.
Dr. David Bauer and Dr. Scot Youngblood are two insurance company darlings. They have been traveling up to Alaska frequently as of late. And they have been producing reports for years. But there ain’t nothing independent about them! These doctors are paid thousands of dollars for every report they write. And they keep writing these reports no matter how often the Alaska Workers Compensation Board shoots them down which is over and over again.
Dr. Bauer's Cases
To learn more about Dr. Bauer, check out my blog here: "Independent" Medical Evaluations: The Boys Are Back in Town - Keenan Powell, Attorney at Law
Dr. Youngblood's Cases
To learn more about typical Dr. Youngblood repots, check out my blog here: "Independent" Evaluations: Scot Youngblood, MD - Keenan Powell, Attorney at Law
What Happens Next?
Once the insurance company receives the “independent” medical evaluation report, they will cut off your benefits immediately. They should send you a Controversion Notice. But they don’t always. Not to worry, you don’t need a formal notice to start the claims process.
If you want to see what the notice should look like, the forms are available on the Alaska Workers Compensation Board's website: Workers' Compensation Forms (alaska.gov).
Short story: if your insurance company is sending you to see one of these doctors, its because they intend to cut off your benefits, you're in for a fight.
What to do? Start collecting all your medical records from your treating physicians and call an attorney.
Contact an Experience Workers Compensation Attorney
Keenan Powell has practiced Workers Compensation law in the State of Alaska for over 35 years and has dedicated her practice to Workers Compensation representing injured Alaskans handling hundreds of cases. www.keenanpowell.com
All consultations are free. To make an appointment, email: keenan@keenanpowell.com or call: 907 258 7663.