What is a Panel of Four?

What is a Panel of Four?

If you work in Alabama and you have sustained a workers compensation injury, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits, including your right to medical treatment-which includes your right to a Panel of Four, but you probably aren’t sure what a Panel of Four is; hopefully, this blog will answer this question for you.

As we discussed in previous blogs, your employer’s workers compensation insurance carrier has to pay for any and all medical treatment which are reasonable and necessary given your job injuries.  Having stated this, Alabama’s Workers’ Compensation Statute realizes that there may be times in which the injured worker is not satisfied with the treatment they are receiving from workers’ compensation’s physician.  This is why our workers compensation law allows the injured worker to request a new authorized treating physician.  This is done by requesting a Panel of Four Physicians.  The workers’ compensation insurance carrier picks 4 different physicians from 4 different facilities, and the injured worker can then choose one of the doctors to take over treatment for the work-related injury.  You may only request a Panel of Four once during the normal pendency of your workers comp claim.

Since the injured worker only has one shot at picking a new treating physician, requesting a Panel of Four is not something to be done on the spur of the moment.  Moreover, most injured workers do not have any knowledge about the physicians on their Panel of Four and they are hesitant to make an uninformed choice.  An experienced Work Injury lawyer can be invaluable in helping you choose the best physician for you given your injury and where in Alabama you live.

The Alabama+ Work Injury lawyers at Powell and Denny have over 57 years combined experience handling job injuries and in dealing with the physicians used by the various workers’ compensation insurance companies.  If you are dissatisfied with your treating physician and have questions about what your next step should be, the experienced Alabama Workers Compensation Injury Attorneys at Powell and Denny would be happy to help.  Call today for a free consultation; and remember, virtual appointments are available through Zoom-so you don’t have to leave the comfort of your home to meet with one of our knowledgeable attorneys.

Powell and Denny: We Work When You Can’t

Offices in Birmingham, AL and Huntsville, Alabama

 

Powell and Denny have been selected as one of the Best Law Firms by U.S. News and World Report for each of the last 7 years, have been selected as one of Birmingham’s Top Lawyers by B-Metro Magazine for the last 3 years, have been selected by The National Advocates as one of the Top 20 Workers’ Compensation Firms (plaintiffs) and Powell and Denny, P.C.-has been selected as one of the “Best of the Best” law firms by The American Registry

Mr. Denny is AV rated by Martindale Hubbard (the highest rating possible) and Mr. Powell has been rated as Superior by The National Registry and selected as a Lawyer of Distinction.

+ Powell and Denny have successfully represented injured workers from Birmingham, Huntsville, Florence, Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia, Athens, Decatur, Town Creek Ardmore, Hartselle, Madison, Toney, Scottsboro, Ft. Payne, New Hope, Guntersville, Albertville, Boaz, Ashville, Anniston, Gadsden, Cullman, Jasper, Gardendale, Morris, Kimberly, Centerpoint, Leeds, Tarrant City, Fairfield, Hueytown, Bessemer, Adger, Tuscaloosa, Cordova, Alabaster, Pelham, Harpersville, Opelika, Phenix City, Montgomery, Clanton, Calera, Enterprise, Monroeville, Mobile, Evergreen and towns and cities in between.

 

Alabama Workers Compensation Attorneys

Birmingham Workers’ Compensation Lawyers

Huntsville Workers’ Compensation Attorneys

 

What is a Panel of Four?