One of the common tactics big employers use in the state of Illinois when a worker gets injured on the job is to send them to a “company clinic.”

These are legit medical facilities, but in my experience, they tend to favor the employer.  It’s not that they will ignore injuries, although that has happened.  It’s more so that their treatment plan seems to often be VERY conservative.

You may have heard of Concentra as that is a big company clinic with over 500 locations across the US. There are others too.  A recent caller to my office was injured in the Illinois and got sent to Concentra.  Every detail of how he describes his injury sounds like he has a herniated disc in his neck.  He has burning pain that shoots down his arm and also has numbness and tingling in his fingers.  Despite these complaints, he’s not been sent for a MRI or referred to an orthopedic Doctor even though he’s been off work for over a month.

The biggest problem I have with these company clinics is that often the employer makes their workers feel like this is the only place they are allowed to receive medical care.  That’s simply not true.  Employers want their workers at these clinics because it saves them money and often the care is very conservative.  That’s well and good, but has nothing to do with looking out for your health or best interests.

The best advice we can give you is that if you have been injured on the job in Illinois and are in pain after seeing a company clinic, go see a doctor of your own choosing.  If that pain continues, ask that doctor for a referral to a specialist.  Get to that specialist and let them tell you what is wrong with you and what treatment you need.  A company clinic doctor may be great, but they are not the best person to take care of a serious injury.  They are more like an urgent care for a first diagnosis.

And if you get any push back from your employer or just have questions or concerns, you should get with an attorney. If you’d like to speak with a lawyer for free about Illinois workers’ compensation law, contact us at any time.