What Medical Tests Are Often Required for Worker’s Comp Cases?
- Posted on: Nov 16 2020
If You have been injured on the job and have opened a worker’s comp case, you should be prepared to undergo a number of different medical tests. Some of these tests will be ordered by your own doctor in order to diagnose and treat your injuries. Others may be ordered by the independent medical examiner you are required to see by your employer or by their worker’s comp insurance company. While these tests will vary depending on what your injury is, here are some of the most common tests that employees who file a worker’s comp case undergo.
X-rays, MRIs, and CAT Scans
While you may not necessarily consider getting X-rays to be a medical test, this diagnostic tool is very commonly used in many injuries. If you have a broken bone, you can expect to get several X-rays as you recovery in order for doctors to make certain you are healing correctly. Even if nothing is obviously broken, your doctor may do X-rays during the diagnosis period just to make certain there is no damage to your bones.
MRIs and CAT scans are also used to diagnose injuries, including bone and joint damage, infections, internal bleeding, inflammation, and other conditions. Sometimes, an MRI or CAT scan will be done if X-Rays don’t provide enough information, while other times they may be done without X-Rays. It depends on what type of injury you have.
Blood Tests
If you have filed a worker’s comp claim for a long-term illness caused by your work environment, you may have to have a blood test done. What tests your doctor orders depends on the nature of your illness, but as the patient, the process is the same for all of them: you go in for a blood draw. You will also likely have other tests depending on your illness. For example, if you have filed a worker’s comp case for exposure to airborne chemicals that have led to breathing difficulties, you can expect to go through a number of tests to determine your lung capacity.
If you are seeking worker’s comp, you want to make certain the doctor you’re working with knows exactly what tests are needed both to diagnose the condition and to appease the worker’s comp board. Dr. Jeff Mollins has years of experience in worker’s comp cases and can help with all of your tests. Contact his office today to schedule a consultation.
Posted in: Blog, Uncategorized, Workers Compensation