Medical Review Panel

If an injured worker has already received a decision from the appeals department and from the Board Appeal Tribunal and they have a medical question with which they disagree, they may be eligible for a Medical Review Panel. A Medical Review Panel cannot be arranged for those that have a question that is adjudicative in nature. A Medical Review Panel is a panel of health care practitioners and it is the final step in the appeal process. The panel’s decision is binding on the worker and on us.

Our legislation, The Worker’s Compensation Act, 2013 (the Act) defines:

• how a Medical Review Panel is requested
• who sits on a Medical Review Panel
• how a Medical Review Panel operates

Only an injured worker can ask for a Medical Review Panel after their appeal has been heard by the appeals department and the Board Appeal Tribunal (the tribunal). A Medical Review Panel is not used to appeal decisions about claim adjudication. 

To request a Medical Review Panel, two forms must be submitted to the WCB:

• Worker’s Request for a Medical Review Panel (completed by the worker).
• Enabling Certificate for Medical Review Panel Examination (completed by a physician).

The injured worker can request the Worker’s Request for Medical Review Panel form from the board services department by contacting us:

• Phone: 1.800.667.7590
• Email: boardappeal@wcbsask.com
• Regular mail:
   

  Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board

  Attention board services department

  200 – 1881 Scarth St.

  Regina SK S4P 4L1

Once the form is completed, it can be submitted via the above email or mailing address.

The Enabling Certificate for Medical Review Panel Examination is available online or by contacting the board services department.

In the certificate, your physician or chiropractor will need to:

• Identify the medical decision taken by us that they do not agree with.
• Provide specifics about the portion of the tribunal decision they disagree with.
• List in detail the medical grounds that support your doctor’s or chiropractor’s position.

Your doctor or chiropractor can talk with our medical consultant if they have questions about filling in the certificate. They can reach our consultant by:

Phone: 306.787.4730
Toll free phone: 1.800.667.7590
Email: MAinquiry@wcbsask.com

If you are a physician or a chiropractor, learn more about what your responsibilities are when completing an enabling certificate for a Medical Review Panel.

Members of a Medical Review Panel

There are three health care practitioners on a Medical Review Panel:

• We select the chairperson in consultation with the Saskatchewan Medical Association. The chairperson is a doctor who practices general medicine,
• We give you a list of specialists or chiropractors who work in the field related to the injury. You select the remaining two members of the panel from the list.

If you are a member of a Medical Review Panel, here are your responsibilities.

Reasons for requesting a Medical Review Panel

Our legislation has reasons for requesting a Medical Review Panel. Your written request must tell us which of the following reasons you believe apply to your request:

1. You have a greater functional impairment than was decided by us.
2. You have a greater limitation in working capacity than was decided by us.
3. You should receive compensation for a longer period than the period allowed by us.
4. Our decision was based on a physician’s report that was wrong or incomplete.
5. Any combination of the reasons listed above.