CompFox AI Summary
This case concerns a dispute over medical treatment disputes between an applicant and the County of Orange. The parties had previously stipulated to have the Agreed Medical Examiner (AME), Dr. Wilson, resolve future treatment disputes, potentially bypassing the statutory Utilization Review (UR) and Independent Medical Review (IMR) processes. The Workers' Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) dismissed the employer's petition for reconsideration as the prior order was procedural, but granted removal. As a decision after removal, the WCAB clarified that while the stipulation to use the AME is valid and can supersede IMR, treatment requests must first go through UR, and only subsequent disputes are referred to the AME.
Full Decision Text1 Pages
This case concerns a dispute over medical treatment disputes between an applicant and the County of Orange. The parties had previously stipulated to have the Agreed Medical Examiner (AME), Dr. Wilson, resolve future treatment disputes, potentially bypassing the statutory Utilization Review (UR) and Independent Medical Review (IMR) processes. The Workers' Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) dismissed the employer's petition for reconsideration as the prior order was procedural, but granted removal. As a decision after removal, the WCAB clarified that while the stipulation to use the AME is valid and can supersede IMR, treatment requests must first go through UR, and only subsequent disputes are referred to the AME.
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