After you’re injured at work, you may need to seek medical attention. One question you may have is how your medical bills will be paid. Another is what you need to do if the bill comes to your home. Here’s a few tips on how to handle your treatment after a work injury.
When you’re injured at work, your employer needs to file a claim with workers’ compensation. This claim allows you to seek compensation for your medical care. You can’t seek compensation until after the claim is approved.
Once the claim is approved, then your medical bills need to be submitted to the Managed Care Organization. These bills are then reviewed by the organization and sent on the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. The Bureau of Workers’ Compensation is responsible for paying the bill and does this by giving the MCO the money needed. The MCO is in charge of paying bills by distributing the money it receives.
If you get a bill at home, don’t worry; your medical provider may not have realized this was a work-related injury. You can call your medical provider and tell them to send a new bill to the MCO responsible for your case. Then, the process will work like above, leaving you out of the payment arrangements.
If you’re concerned that your care hasn’t been approved or won’t be paid for by the Bureau for Workers’ Compensation, you can discuss your case with the MCO before you seek treatment. The organization will give you information on why your case has been approved or denied, so you can reapply if necessary.
Source: Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, “Medical- Treatment and/or medical bills” accessed Mar. 02, 2015