Workers’ compensation can be a confusing process for both the injured employee and the employer. Like other civil litigation, workers’ compensation requires a large amount of paperwork. There are many forms that need to be filed in a timely manner, the employee will have to file paperwork starting the claim with the court, and doctors will need to fill out and return forms concerning the employee’s injury. Medical conditions can be just as complicated and confusing for laypeople as the workers’ compensation claim itself. If your business is facing a workers’ compensation case, you may be wondering if you can get a copy of your employee’s medical records.
The short answer to this question is “yes.” Although employees may balk at this as it seems like an invasion of privacy, it is important for employees and employers both to understand that medical records can be crucial to the workers’ compensation process because an employee’s claim can be impacted by the existence of a pre-existing injury. For example, if your worker is claiming he or she has developed carpal tunnel syndrome during the course and scope of employment, the employee can be forced to disclose medical records that show that he or she has sought treatment for the same or similar condition in the past.
Employers should keep in mind, however, that an employer cannot force an employee to provide copies of all medical records, despite the lack of connection between the work-related injury and records of past medical conditions. Taking the same example of the employee claiming he or she has developed carpal tunnel syndrome, the employer could not likely require the employee to provide copies of medical records concerning skin cancer treatment. Employers should also keep in mind that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) also applies to workers’ compensation cases. The purpose of HIPAA is to help protect the privacy and security of medical records. In most situations, a person would need to sign a release for another entity to receive a copy of health records. Workers’ compensation cases have a limited exception, allowing relevant medical information to be released without individual authorization from the injured employee. However, the medical records will only be disclosed to meet the minimum required information.
We have extensive experience helping our clients understand the type of information they may have a right to during a workers’ compensation case. Call us today for a consultation.