To help your medical providers to properly document the history of your work injury, you should provide them with a one sentence history they can write down, such as: “On February 2, 2010, I hurt my neck, left shoulder, and right knee when I fell down a flight of stairs at work.” Keep it as concise, consistent, accurate, and as simple as possible.
Being injured and in pain can be a stressful time in your life. Oftentimes during this confusing period after the accident, your pain complaints and treatment may be focused to one area of the body, but with other injured areas possibly mentioned and not treated. All injuries may not have been discussed or, at least, noted at the emergency room visit or subsequent doctor visits due to embarrassment, a stoic demeanor, a desire to protect the employer, or a focus on the primary injury.
If all injuries that you believe relate to your work injury were not listed on the initial medical notes, make an appointment with that doctor or another doctor to have him or her examine the other parts of your body. Also, you should tell your employer what you believe to be the initial injuries and what you believe to be part of the entire claim. Inability to have a paper trail documenting all of your injuries could impact what injuries are covered, both for wage loss and medical purposes, with catastrophic unforeseen results.
For more information regarding this topic or general questions regarding a Workers' Compensation Claim, you may reach Chad Snow and the firm of Snow and Carpio and Weekley, PLC at 602-532-0700 or 520-647-9000.
In the absence of Attorney Chad Snow, blog posted today by: April Lang-Snow, Business Manager @ Snow and Carpio, PLC.
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