Do I Have to Use My Employer's Doctor?

If you were hurt on the job in Pennsylvania, you have probably been handed a list of doctors and told you must use one of them. Here is the honest answer: sometimes yes, sometimes no. Whether you have to use your employer's "panel" doctor comes down to whether the employer followed every rule.

The Short Version

Employers may require you to treat with a panel provider for the first 90 days after a work injury — but only if the panel is legally valid and you were given proper notice. Miss either one, and you can see your own doctor from day one.

When You DO Have to Use the Panel

You are generally bound to the panel for 90 days if all of these are true: the panel lists at least six providers (including at least three physicians), it is geographically accessible, it is properly posted, and you received written notice of your duty to use it — both at hire and again after the injury.

When You DON'T

• The panel has fewer than six providers or fewer than three physicians;
• You were never given proper written notice (at hire and after injury);
• It is an emergency;
• The panel has no appropriate specialist for your injury; or
• You are past the 90-day window.

If any of this sounds off in your case, it is worth a free call. The wrong doctor early can hurt your claim for months.