One of the most important decisions for an injured worker in New Mexico is choosing a doctor for treatment.

As a side note, the New Mexico Workers' Compensation Act contains a procedure for determining whether the injured worker or the employer (and/or workers' compensation insurer) gets to make the first choice of healthcare provider. This post does not address this procedure. I have written about this procedure in the past and will certainly write about it again.

However, this post addresses how to choose a specific doctor to treat your work injuries.

The answer is fairly simple: you should choose a doctor who regularly treats injured workers and is, therefore, familiar with the New Mexico workers' compensation system which has its own billing system and other quirks. These doctors are usually also familiar with the legal issues associated with a work injury which can be helpful in resolving your case. You should not get legal advice from a doctor, but it can be very helpful when the treating doctor has a working knowledge of the New Mexico workers' compensation system.

The best way to choose a competent workers' compensation doctor is to ask a lawyer (like me) who represents injured workers.