Jones, Eary v, Technicolor

2019 TN WC 79
CourtTennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims
DecidedMay 21, 2019
Docket2019-08-0010
StatusPublished

This text of 2019 TN WC 79 (Jones, Eary v, Technicolor) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jones, Eary v, Technicolor, 2019 TN WC 79 (Tenn. Super. Ct. 2019).

Opinion

FILED May 21, 2019 10:36 AM(CT) TENNESSEE COURT OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION CLAIMS

TENNESSEE BUREAU OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION IN THE COURT OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION CLAIMS AT MEMPHIS

EARY JONES, ) Docket No. 2019-08-0010 Employee, ) v. ) TECHNICOLOR, ) State File No. 41687-2017 Employer, ) And ) ACE AMERICAN INS. CO., ) Judge Allen Phillips Carrier. )

EXPEDITED HEARING ORDER FOR MEDICAL BENEFITS (DECISION ON THE RECORD)

This case came before the Court on Mr. Jones's Request for an Expedited Hearing on the record. Technicolor did not oppose a record review, and the Court determined it needed no additional evidence to decide the issue. The Court allowed the parties until May 8, 2019, to file position statements. The contested issue is whether Mr. Jones may return to Dr. Apurva Dalal, a physician he chose from a pane1. 1 For the following reasons, the Court holds Mr. Jones would likely prevail at a hearing on the merits and orders that Technicolor allow him to return to Dr. Dalal.

History of Claim

On May 30, 2017, Mr. Jones fell from a loading dock, landing on his right leg and lower back. After an initial medical evaluation, Technicolor provided a panel of physicians from which he chose Dr. John Lochemes.

Dr. Lochemes noted Mr. Jones complained primarily of right-hip and thigh pain. He diagnosed a right-hip contusion and recommended an MRI of the right hip and leg, both of which were negative for an acute injury. Dr. Lochemes recommended a second

1 Mr. Jones also requested attorney's fees for wrongful denial. opinion by stating that a physician who treats hip injuries "would be a likely pick." He said he would "follow-up" with Mr. Jones after the second opinion.

Technicolor arranged a second opinion with Dr. Tyler Cannon, who described his evaluation "as a second opinion with a potential to treat." He found "the focal point" of Mr. Jones's pain was "over the mid-thigh," so he recommended an MRI of the right thigh. It "demonstrated no abnormalities." No other notes from Dr. Cannon appear in the record.

Technicolor then offered Mr. Jones a second panel that included Dr. Dalal. Dr. Dalal recorded Mr. Jones's history and reviewed the records of Drs. Lochemes and Cannon. He ordered MRis of both the knee and back. At a follow-up, Dr. Dalal reviewed the knee MRI but noted the back MRI had not been performed. He asked the case management nurse to schedule the back MRI and indicated he would see Mr. Jones afterward. No other notes from Dr. Dalal appear in the record.

Technicolor then scheduled an "independent medical evaluation" with Dr. Christopher Ferguson. An incomplete note indicates that he, like Dr. Dalal, recommended an MRI of Mr. Jones's back, and he also requested a right-leg EMG. The EMG was normal, and the back MRI showed only degenerative changes. Dr. Ferguson later stated the following in response to questions posed by Technicolor:

• Mr. Jones reached maximum medical improvement. • He had no permanent impairment. • Mr. Jones underwent a complete workup for his injuries. • He needed no further treatment. • Mr. Jones could return to work without restrictions.

Mr. Jones then returned to Dr. Lochemes, who stated the right-hip contusion had resolved and assigned an impairment rating. Dr. Lochemes released Mr. Jones to return to work without restriction but added he "was at a loss to explain all of our negative testing." Although Dr. Lochemes stated he made the referral to Dr. Ferguson, the Court found no record of that referral. Dr. Lochemes injected Mr. Jones's right hip in "another attempt at trying to offer the patient some relief."

Based on this record, Mr. Jones argued the Court should compel Technicolor to allow him to return to Dr. Dalal for evaluation and any necessary treatment. He contended that his selection of Dr. Dalal from a panel made him an authorized treating physician. As a result, the treatment recommended by Dr. Dalal, including a follow-up visit, is presumed reasonable and necessary under Tennessee Code Annotated section 50- 6-204(a)(3)(H) (2018). Finally, Mr. Jones argued that Technicolor wrongfully denied his claim, and he should receive attorney's fees and costs under Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-226(d)(l)(B). 2 For its part, Technicolor contended Mr. Jones was not entitled to return to Dr. Dalal because Dr. Lochemes did not intend to "transfer" care by requesting the second opinion. Instead, Dr. Lochemes stated he would see Mr. Jones after the second opinion. Further, Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-204(a)(3)(C) provides that an employee's decision to obtain a second opinion "shall not alter the previous selection of the treating physician or chiropractor." Thus, Technicolor argued Dr. Lochemes remains the authorized physician, and he and Dr. Ferguson completely evaluated Mr. Jones's hip condition. Finally, Technicolor argued that Mr. Jones did not rebut Dr. Lochemes's opinions regarding causation and impairment by a preponderance of the evidence.

Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law

Mr. Jones must present sufficient evidence that he is likely to prevail at a hearing on the merits. Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-239(d)(l). The Court holds he did.

Specifically, the Court finds the facts of this case are virtually identical to those in Ledford v. Mid-Georgia Courier, Inc., 2018 TN Wrk. Comp. App. Bd. LEXIS 28 (June 4, 20 18). There, the authorized treating physician believed the employee "would benefit from a second opinion and the physician who provided the second opinion would have an option to treat." !d. at *5. The employer argued that the referring physician remained the authorized physician and the other "was merely asked to provide a second opinion." !d. at *4. Further, that employer argued that, under Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6- 204(a)(3)(C), the "employee's decision to obtain a second opinion" did not change the status of the authorized physician. !d. at *5.

The Appeals Board disagreed. It held that section (a)(3)(C) applies when an employee requests a second opinion regarding surgery or diagnosis but not when a physician makes a referral to another. Instead, the Board ruled that section (a)(3)(A)(ii) is controlling. Namely, when a physician makes a referral, then the employer is deemed to have accepted the referral unless it provides a panel within three days. !d. at *7. Even though the employer in Ledford did not provide a panel within three days, the Board found it provided one and the employee selected a physician from it. !d. at *6. Thus, the Board held: "When an employer offers a panel of physicians pursuant to section 50-6- 204(a)(3)(A)(ii) ... the new physician becomes an authorized treating physician pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-204(a)(3)(E)." !d.

In this case, Dr. Lochemes recommended a second opmwn, and Technicolor provided one from Dr. Cannon. The record is silent as to why it later provided a second panel that included Dr. Dalal. However, regardless of the reason, Technicolor provided the panel from which Mr. Jones chose Dr. Dalal. At that point, Dr. Dalal became an authorized treating physician whose treatment is presumed medically necessary under Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-204(a)(3)(H). Thus, the Court holds that Mr. Jones is entitled to return to Dr. Dalal.

3 Before concluding, the Court holds that Mr. Jones's request for attorney's fees for wrongful denial is inappropriate at this time. In Thompson v. Comcast Corp., 20 18 TN Wrk. Comp. App. Bd. LEXIS 1, at *29 (Jan.

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Related

§ 50-6-239
Tennessee § 50-6-239(d)(l)

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2019 TN WC 79, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jones-eary-v-technicolor-tennworkcompcl-2019.