Opinion

Knechtel v. Workers' Compensation Appeal Board

  • 594 Pa. 21
  • 934 A.2d 697
  • 2007 Pa. LEXIS 2409
Court
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Filed
Nov 20, 2007
Status
Published
Author
Baer
On the bench
Baer, Baldwin, Cappy, Castille, Eakin, Fitzgerald, Saylor
Cited by
0 cases

The opinion

Justice BAER,

concurring.

Today the Court affirms by per curiam order the Commonwealth Court’s construction regarding the legislature’s enactment of 77 P.S. § 651(b), 1 allowing a claimant’s healthcare provider to “participate” in the examination conducted by an employer’s physician. In so doing, we affirm the court’s holding that the legislature in *698 tended to afford the opposing expert a first-hand view of the examination process, through attendance and observation, but did not intend to permit such expert to engage in any active conduct which might disturb the examining physician. I write to express my opinion that nothing in our affirmance of the Commonwealth Court’s opinion, limiting a healthcare provider to attending and observing an employer’s physician’s examination, should be seen as precluding such a provider from engaging in other passive, non-disruptive activity during the exam. Specifically, I believe that a workers’ compensation judge retains the discretion to grant a claimant’s reasonable request to take notes and/or audio or videotape the examination, so long as such activity will not interfere with an employer’s physician’s ability to conduct an examination.

Justice BALDWIN joins this concurring statement.

. This section provides, in relevant part:

In the case of a physical examination, the employe shall be entitled to have a health care provider of his own selection, to be paid by him, participate in such examination requested by his employer or ordered by the workers’ compensation judge.

77 P.S. §651(b).

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

A word about cookies

We need a few to keep you signed in and the library working. The rest help us see which pages people use and where they get stuck. They stay off unless you say yes.