History. Code 1933, § 114-504, enacted by Ga. L. 1978, p. 2220, § 9; Ga. L. 1990, p. 1409, § 6; Ga. L. 1992, p. 1942, §§ 16, 17; Ga. L. 1994, p. 887, § 11; Ga. L. 1998, p. 1508, § 4; Ga. L. 2000, p. 1321, § 3; Ga. L. 2001, p. 748, § 3; Ga. L. 2015, p. 1079, § 2/HB 412.
The 2015 amendment, effective July 1, 2015, in subsection (b), in paragraph (b)(1), substituted “shall practice” for “must practice” in the third sentence, and added “or” at the end, deleted former paragraph (b)(2), which read: “The employer may maintain a list of physicians in conformity with the guidelines and criteria established and contained in the Rules and Regulations of the State Board of Workers’ Compensation. This list shall be known as the “Conformed Panel of Physicians.” An employee may obtain the services of any physician from the conformed panel and may thereafter also elect to change to another physician on the panel without prior authorization of the board. The physician so selected will then become the primary authorized treating physician in control of the employee’s medical care and may arrange for any consultation, referral, and extraordinary or other specialized medical services as the nature of the injury shall require without prior authorization by the board; provided, however, that any of the physicians to whom the employee is referred by the primary authorized treating physician shall not be permitted to arrange for any additional referrals; or”, redesignated former paragraph (b)(3) as present paragraph (b)(2), and substituted “shall comply” for “must comply” near the beginning of the fourth sentence of paragraph (b)(2); and, in subsection (c), deleted “or Conformed Panel of Physicians” following “Panel of Physicians” in the introductory paragraph.
Law reviews.
For note on the 1992 amendment of this Code section, see 9 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 285 (1992).
For review of 1998 legislation relating to labor and industrial relations, see 15 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 185 (1998).
For note on the 2000 amendment of this Code section, see 17 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 231 (2000).
For article, “Workers’ Compensation,” see 53 Mercer L. Rev. 521 (2001).