Section 4601 Of Article 2. Medical And Hospital Treatment From California Labor Code >> Division 4. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 2.
4601
. (a) If the employee so requests, the employer shall tender
the employee one change of physician. The employee at any time may
request that the employer tender this one-time change of physician.
Upon request of the employee for a change of physician, the maximum
amount of time permitted by law for the employer or insurance carrier
to provide the employee an alternative physician or, if requested by
the employee, a chiropractor, or an acupuncturist shall be five
working days from the date of the request. Notwithstanding the 30-day
time period specified in Section 4600, a request for a change of
physician pursuant to this section may be made at any time. The
employee is entitled, in any serious case, upon request, to the
services of a consulting physician, chiropractor, or acupuncturist of
his or her choice at the expense of the employer. The treatment
shall be at the expense of the employer.
(b) If an employee requesting a change of physician pursuant to
subdivision (a) has notified his or her employer in writing prior to
the date of injury that he or she has a personal chiropractor, the
alternative physician tendered by the employer to the employee, if
the employee so requests, shall be the employee's personal
chiropractor. For the purpose of this article, "personal chiropractor"
means the employee's regular chiropractor licensed pursuant to
Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 1000) of Division 2 of the
Business and Professions Code, who has previously directed treatment
of the employee, and who retains the employee's chiropractic
treatment records, including his or her chiropractic history.
(c) If an employee requesting a change of physician pursuant to
subdivision (a) has notified his or her employer in writing prior to
the date of injury that he or she has a personal acupuncturist, the
alternative physician tendered by the employer to the employee, if
the employee so requests, shall be the employee's personal
acupuncturist. For the purpose of this article, "personal
acupuncturist" means the employee's regular acupuncturist licensed
pursuant to Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 4935) of Division 2
of the Business and Professions Code, who has previously directed
treatment of the employee, and who retains the employee's acupuncture
treatment records, including his or her acupuncture history.