Since the passage of Act 57 in 1996, employees are required to treat with a medical provider on the employer’s list of designated physicians for 90 days provided that the employer provides written notice to the employee that treatment with a panel physician is required. The employer is required to notify the employee that treatment with a panel physician is required and to obtain written acknowledgment of that notification both at the time of hire and immediately after the injury or as soon thereafter as possible under the circumstances of the injury.
Further, non-designated physician is required to provide notice of treatment within 5 days. Only when an employee has not been provided with such a list may he or she select the employee’s own physician for treatment within the first 90 days.