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Can an employer make me go out of town
for treatment?
The Iowa Supreme Court has stated:
Iowa Code section 85.27 (2001)
provides that “the
employer is obliged to furnish
reasonable
services and supplies to
treat an injured employee, and has the right to choose the care. The
treatment must be offered promptly and be reasonably suited to treat the
injury
without undue inconvenience
to the employee.”
The authorized treating
physician in this case was in Des Moines.
John Doe lived more than a
hundred miles away in Trenton, Missouri.
The employer did offer John
Doe the option of visiting Dr. Smith, in Columbia, Missouri; Columbia is
three hours away from his,
according to John Doe. Even if the employer did still have the right to
control treatment,
neither of
these options appears to offer John Doe treatment “without undue
inconvenience.” |
