ARKANSAS

Employer or Carrier Selects

The employer shall have the right to select the initial primary care physician from among those associated with managed care entities certified by the commission as provided in § 11-9-508. (A.C.A. § 11-9-514 (a)(3)(A)(i))

Change of Provider

Where the employer does not have a contract with a managed care organization certified by the commission, the claimant employee, however, shall be allowed to change physicians by petitioning the commission one time only for a change of physician, to a physician who must either be associated with any managed care entity certified by the commission or be the regular treating physician of the employee who maintains the employee's medical records and with whom the employee has a bona fide doctor-patient relationship demonstrated by a history of regular treatment prior to the onset of the compensable injury, but only if the primary care physician agrees to refer the employee to a physician associated with any managed care entity certified by the commission for any specialized treatment, including physical therapy, and only if the primary care physician agrees to comply with all the rules, terms, and conditions regarding services performed by any managed care entity certified by the commission. (A.C.A. § 11-9-514 (a)(3)(A) (i) (iii))

Panels

Not addressed

Panel Provisions

See Direction of Care law.

ARKANSAS MCO

Employer or Carrier Selects

Employers or their insurance representatives have the right to choose doctor(s) to treat injured workers, but notice of these choices must be given to employees. If the employer's representative has a managed care organization (MCO) for work-related injuries, a health notice (Form H) must be posted at the business. See Arkansas Form H: http://www.awcc.state.ar.us/revisedforms/formh.pdf

Change of Provider

Where the employer has contracted with a managed care organization certified by the commission, the claimant employee, however, shall be allowed to change physicians by petitioning the commission one (1) time only for a change of physician to a physician who must either be associated with the managed care entity chosen by the employer or be the regular treating physician of the employee who maintains the employee's medical records and with whom the employee has a bona fide doctor-patient relationship demonstrated by a history of regular treatment prior to the onset of the compensable injury but only if the primary care physician agrees to refer the employee to the managed care entity chosen by the employer for any specialized treatment, including physical therapy, and only if the primary care physician agrees to comply with all the rules, terms, and conditions regarding services performed by the managed care entity chosen by the employer. (A.C.A. § 11-9-514 (a)(3)(A)(ii))

Panels

Not addressed

Panel Provisions

See Direction of Care law.

The information on this website constitutes summary information only and does not constitute legal advice. Review of the full text of the referenced statutes and regulations may be necessary. Coventry Health Care Workers' Compensation, Inc. makes no representations or warranties about the accuracy of the information contained on this website.