From the desk of Patrick B. Guy, Attorney

January 2020

PRACTICE TIP:       The Workers’ Compensation Board expanded the type of providers and the scope of the treatment and services they can independently provide to injured workers effective 1/1/2020.  The purpose of this newsletter is to provide you with easy access to the scope of treatment and services each coded medical provider can perform effective 1/1/2020. 

  1. Physicians – May still provide initial causal relationship and diagnosis, initial disability, treat, continuing disability, permanency, depositions, C-4AUTHs, MG-2s and perform IMEs.

 

  1. Chiropractors – May now provide initial causal relationship and diagnosis, initial disability, treat, continuing disability, permanency, depositions, C-4AUTHs, MG-2s and conduct IMEs presumably for spinal conditions.

 

  1. Podiatrists – May now provide initial causal relationship and diagnosis, initial disability, treat, continuing disability, permanency, depositions, C-4AUTHs, MG-2s and conduct IMEs.

 

  1. Psychologists – May now provide initial causal relationship and diagnosis, initial disability, treat, continuing disability, permanency, depositions, C-4AUTHs, MG-2s and conduct IMEs.

 

  1. Nurse Practitioners – May now provide initial causal relationship and diagnosis, initial disability, treat, continuing disability, permanency, depositions, C-4AUTHs and MG-2s. A nurse practitioner may not conduct IMEs. 

 

  1. Physician Assistants –May now provide continuing disability reports. A physician assistant may not provide initial causal relationship or diagnosis, initial disability, permanency, C-4AUTHs, MG-2s or conduct IMEs.  A physician assistant can be deposed under very limited circumstances presumably concerning the claimant’s continuing degree of disability.

 

  1. Licensed Clinical Social Workers – May now provide initial causal relationship and diagnosis, initial disability, treat, continuing disability, permanency, depositions, C-4AUTHs and MG-2s. A licensed clinical social worker may not conduct IMEs.

 

  1. Acupuncturists – May treat with a referral and file C-4AUTHs. An acupuncturist may not provide initial causal relationship and diagnosis, initial disability, continuing disability, permanency, depositions or conduct IMEs. 

 

  1. Physical Therapists – May now treat with a referral and file C-4AUTHs. A physical therapist may not provide initial causal relationship or diagnosis, initial disability, continuing disability, permanency, depositions, MG-2s or conduct IMEs. 

Please keep in mind that all providers must be coded/authorized by the Workers’ Compensation Board in order to receive payment for any treatment or services in the workers’ compensation setting.  You can find a list of all medical providers who are properly authorized to treat claimants on the Workers’ Compensation Board website under the heading “Healthcare providers.” See http://www.wcb.ny.gov/health-care/provider-search/

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the increase in the types of medical providers and/or what type of treatment or services they can provide please contact Patrick B. Guy at (607) 723-0600 ext 105 or any other attorneys in our office.  If you would like a training session on this or any other area of the Workers’ Compensation Law, please do not hesitate to contact our firm.