Doc Does P & S For My Arm, Not Knee

[Eryi]

My orthopedic surgeon rated my P & S for an arm, not the left knee he operated on. He also listed knee measurements, but never even looked at or felt my knee at the P & S appointment. I chose not to go the attorney route.  My claims adjuster had me request a QME panel.  While I have done internet research on the 3 doctors, I am seeking your feedback.  The 3 doctors are Steven Tradonsky, MD and David G. Levinsohn, MD.  The third doctor completed his fellowship with my doctor, so I won't chose him.  The State refuses to remove his name from the list.

[Kueng]

Did you check to see if either Tradonsky or Levinsohn are on the Comp Insurer's Medical Provider Network?

If a physician is on the network of 'approved' doctors for an insurer, that doctor is unlikely to issue a report that would anger an adjuster for that insurance company.

I don't see the name of the insurer here, so I couldn't check the insurer's MPN list.

So, check the MPN List for the comp insurance carrier on your claim.

If both doctors are on that MPN list, you might want to reconsider the unnamed third doctor.   Just because someone 'completed a fellowhip' with a physician doesn't mean they continued down a professional path together.

I see Levinsohn is on both the State Fund and the Conventry/First Health MPNs.  He has happy testimonials published on his 'rotatorcuffsandiego.com' page but then none are from Workers Comp patients.  While he's a good physician, he's just less likely to write anything that would make the adjuster for State Fund or Conventry mad at him.

Dr. Tradonsky is NOT on the Coventry MPN but is on the State Fund MPN.   His specialities are lower extremity(knees, ankles)...he doesn't list shoulders and spines as part of his focus of practice, but he's board-certified so he can competent evaluate these.

Given these two, I'd go with Trandonsky.   He has a regular Sports Medicine practice, but Levinsohn is associated with an "occupational' medicine group, typically code for sending a person back to work no matter their pain level nor if the medication makes them too dizzy to drive.

A smarter move may be to return to the first physician who failed to report on the knee injury and request a supplemental report on the knee, noting he 'accidentally' left that off the first report and you need the treating physician's findings on the knee complaints.

Hope that helps.