Lawyer Monthly Magazine - May 2019 Edition

80 SUPER LAWYERS MAY 2019 www. lawyer-monthly .com Personal injury What’s the Issue with Workers’ Compensation? Lawyer Monthly sits downwith certified specialist RichardMeechan for an interview about his practice and the current state of workers’ compensation. Can you tell us a couple of keys about what you believe helps a successful workers’ compensation practice? I’ve been in workers’ compensation since 1985. I worked as a law clerk while in school and then became an attorney in 1987. I’ve spent my whole career doing workers’ compensation from the injured worker’s perspective. We work for people in Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, Napa and Marin counties. I’ve been empowered by working with the California Applicants’ Attorneys Association (CAAA). I’m a true believer in CAAA. It’s our statewide organization and is dedicated to educating attorneys and political overwatch of the workers’ compensation system. We put on two conventions a year and I go to both; knowledge is our most powerful tool, so I think belonging to CAAA has been the greatest contribution to my law practice. What do you see as the biggest issue in workers’ compensation right now? Medical care under the workers’ compensation system is an absolute mess. In 2013, Governor Brown took the power away from judges to oversee medical care for injured workers to ensure it was fair. The State turned that power exclusively over to the insurance carriers. They control which doctors you can see. They can fire doctors for no reason. They have the right to control every request made by the doctor, by sending medical requests to be scrutinized under a process called the ‘Utilization Review,’ and they control these doctors who perform the Review. The system is rigged against injured workers. All medical care must be obtained through a document called a Request for Authorization and then a formal report. The doctors are required to explain why that care is necessary under the MTUS Guidelines. This is very time-consuming work and the doctors are just not paid for it. The bottom line is it has created a poisonous system of medical care. This problem really needs to be addressed by our current governor. The doctors are required to explain why that care is necessary under the MTUS Guidelines. This is very time-consuming work and the doctors are just not paid for it. Richard Meechan LawOffice of RichardMeechan Servinginjuredworkers.com