Employers must provide, and injured employees must accept, all reasonable medical, surgical, hospital, nursing, and rehabilitative services, including but not limited to, attendant care services and vocational rehabilitations prescribed by a health care provider and authorized by the employer or by the Industrial Commission. The costs of medical compensation are in addition to the disability benefits discussed in the preceding section, and do not offset or reduce them.

The employer or its insurance carrier may select the treating physician and other providers of medical compensation, subject to order of the Industrial Commission. If the employee is dissatisfied with the services rendered by providers selected by the employer, the employee may request that the Industrial Commission order a change of treatment, or approve treatment by providers of employee’s selection. Such requests must show that the change is reasonably necessary to affect a cure, provide relief, or lessen the period of disability, and be submitted with any medical opinions or records that support the request. A copy of the request should be simultaneously sent to the employer or its insurance company. If an employee fails to cooperate with a provider selected by the employer after being ordered to do so by the Industrial Commission, compensation may be suspended while such refusal continues.

The right to medical compensation ends two years after the last payment of medical or indemnity compensation unless, prior to the expiration of this period, an employee files a Form 18M demonstrating a substantial need for future medical treatment, and the Form 18M is thereafter approved by the Industrial Commission.

At Miller Law Group, PLLC, in Raleigh, we fight for people throughout North Carolina that have been injured at work. Please contact us for a free initial consultation so that we can help you through this process.