A real friend tells the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable to hear.

As advocates for a better workers’ comp system, we haven’t been shy about pointing out its shortcomings, particularly Medical Provider Networks (MPNs) — nominally a way for employers and insurers to control costs by restricting access to care while simultaneously  ensuring adequate care.

In practice, MPNs are (arguably) an impediment to care. But don’t take our word alone for it.

Not only is it virtually impossible  for doctors to determine if an MPN applies to a given injured worker; it’s also an apparent challenge to the professionals who, of all people, should be able to answer the following questions in the event of a workplace injury:

• Does an MPN apply to the patient?
• If so, which providers are members of that MPN?

Take for example, the claims adjuster  who reached out to us in response to one of our many MPN-bashing articles. As their candid admission (shown below) illustrates, no one can sort through the pile of mismatched puzzle pieces that is the current MPN system.

The result? Doctors are fleeing the system, and injured workers are hitting dead ends in their treatment.

California employers, pay attention.  If you consider it in your interest to ensure that employees are taken care of in the event of an injury, one of the worst things you can do is restrict their treatment to an MPN. To do so puts employees at the mercy of a broken system — one state regulators seem in no rush to repair.