Dear Doctor: Submitting another Request For Authorization is NOT the Answer!

One of the most frustrating things that can happen during the course of medical treatment for a work-related injury is when a course of treatment your doctor recommends (surgery, prescription, etc.) gets denied by Utilization Review (UR). That’s the system used by compensation claims administrators to decide whether that recommendation is medically necessary.

Unfortunately, too many doctors (accustomed to the older system) think they can simply issue another Request For Authorization (RFA) for the same treatment when UR denies a request. The reality under the new law is somewhat bleak: Once a denial has been made, it remains in effect for twelve months. Resubmitting an RFA at that point is an exercise in futility. The only recourse after a UR denial is to request an Independent Medical Review (IMR) within thirty (30) days of the UR decision.

More bad news: The statistics coming out of IMR suggest that the UR decision is upheld by IMR about 90% of the time. Under these circumstances, it’s understandable to question even bothering with the whole process. The answer is in understanding how to increase the probability that the UR denial will be overturned by the IMR—i.e., how to increase the likelihood that the requested treatment will be authorized by IMR overturning the UR denial.

According to regulatory law, IMR is supposed to get copies from the claims administrator of all medical reports relevant to the injured worker’s current medical condition produced within six months prior to the date of the RFA. There are two parts of that long sentence that are important:

• First, “from the claims administrator.” That means that the parties least motivated to get treatment approved are a primary source of information for the final decision makers. They’re not likely to provide any more information than they did to their own UR—which denied the treatment in the first place.

• Second, the word “relevant.” There’s scant guidance on what is relevant—or at least that’s what the claims administrators will say.

With IMR having difficulty getting medical records on which to base their decisions—plus an increasing load of cases coupled with a commensurate increase in pressure to close cases—it’s small wonder that IMR ends up rubber stamping the UR denials more than 90% of the time.

So what’s the best way for your case to end up being one of the 10% that’s overturned?

• The first step is not to rely on the carrier being the sole source of information for IMR. The law allows for the injured worker to submit medical records relevant to the situation. Certainly, the injured worker or injured worker’s attorney is going to be highly motivated to make sure that relevant information gets in front of IMR. From the time a case is assigned to IMR, an injured worker has 15 days to submit those records—so having them ready to go is always a good idea.

• The second way to increase the injured worker’s “odds” of being in 10% of the decisions that are overturned—meaning the treatment is authorized—is to stay on top of all IMR paperwork. IMR has a huge backlog so they’re motivated to close cases. Towards that end, they will issue an IMR Confirmation Form. This requires the injured worker to return the form within 15 days, essentially saying, “Yes, I want to continue with the IMR process.” Otherwise, IMR assumes that the case has been dropped and simply upholds the UR denial. If you’re working with an attorney, don’t assume that because you’ve received an IMR Confirmation Form that your attorney did as well. Make sure you and your attorney are on the same page at all times and that you don’t miss critical short deadlines like this. When you receive any document from IMR, contact your attorney’s office at once and make sure they received a copy also.

So what’s the good news? In cases where the injured worker or attorney submits their own medical information and stays on top of the paperwork, the rate of UR decisions being overturned can double or even triple. While actual outcomes will always depend on the type of recommendation and the specific case facts, the best possible outcomes come from aggressively and affirmatively pursuing your case. We at the Law Offices of Maurice L. Abarr are uniquely qualified to guide you through this maze. Contact us for a free case evaluation.

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NOTICE: Making a false or fraudulent Workers Compensation claim is a felony subject to up to 5 years in prison or a fine of up to $50,000 or double the value of the fraud, whichever is greater, or by both imprisonment and fine.