One of the most common questions asked by injured workers is whether or not they will be able to see their own physician in the event that they get hurt. The answer depends on whether or not you have pre-designated someone for medical care by giving this notice to your employer in writing. 
You would need to provide the name and address of your medical group or personal physician pre-injury. This needs to occur before you are injured so that you are eligible to go get that support if you do become injured. In most cases you will be treated in the medical provider network of the employer unless you have been pre-designated already. If you are looking for an existing document to accomplish this registration, locate state provided form California DWC form 9783. If you are employed with a company that is associated with a health care organization you would need to complete DWC form 1194 instead.
If you do not complete a pre-designation form and notify your employer in advance of where you’d like to receive medical treatment, an approved workers’ compensation doctor will be assigned to your case. This does not mean that you cannot see your own physician for additional treatment options but that the formal treatment provided through workers’ compensation will be limited to the workers’ comp-provided doctor. This means that this physician’s determination of your treatment is important for whether or not you will get workers’ comp benefits.
For more information about filing a workers’ compensation claim after an injury in California, schedule a consultation with a lawyer.