DUTY OF CARE VERSUS UTILIZATION REVIEW: Corrective legislation is indicated (revised from earlier article)

Worker's Malpractice Action Against UR Doctor Comes to an End, viz., workcompcentral, 2018-16-12. This unfortunate decision has triggered interest for new legislation to correct wrongful and abusive denials of care to injured workers. 

The gist of this case (King v. CompPartners, No. E063527, 10/10/18), involves the unfortunate abrupt and arbitrary discontinuation of patient Kirk King's klonopin with the even more unfortunate triggering of four epileptic seizures. 

For review, here's the facts: Kirk King suffered back injury at work. He was prescribed klonopin to relieve anxiety and depression caused by chronic back pain. In July of 2013 the UR physician working for Comp Partners decertified the medication without advance preparation such as advising the patient, preparing for alternative treatment, or warning the patient about sudden withdrawal. King then had four epileptic seizures. King filed suit based on negligence, malpractice, and emotional distress. Defendants demurred, the Superior Court Judge sustained the demurrer, the 4th District Court overturned the Judge and then the California Supreme Court overturned the District Court by ruling that "the exclusive remedy for disputes arising out of the UR process belongs to the workers comp system." The case was remanded to the District Court. King was barred from pursuing a tort claim. So much for Kirk King and his seizures? Maybe not. 

Although the ruling appears to establish that the alleged malpractice was protected by law and is unassailable in the courts, there's a game-changer, e.g., Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuellar's statement said that the protections for injured workers "may not be set at optimal levels and the legislature may find it makes sense to change them."

Language to challenge legislators to change the law so that Utilization Review doctors are bound by the same Duty of Care as Treating Physicians has already been submitted to selected legislators. 

It makes no sense that treating doctors are subject to this level of practice whereas the UR doctors who may alter their treatment decisions are not. 

References

Workcompcentral News, "Worker's Malpractice Against UR Doctors Comes to an End," WEST, 2018-10-12 (readers can click on the full court decision at bottom of this reference)


Workcompcentral Columns, "UR Physicians Do Not Owe Injured Workers Duty of Care," 2018-09-18 (reprinted from The Weinmann Report, www.politicsofhealthcare.com, 2018-08-18)