High Court to Review Rodriguez Ruling on WCAB Jurisdiction Over Medical Care

The California Supreme Court granted a petition to review an appellate court decision holding that utilization review and independent medical review must be used to determine the necessity for ongoing medical services. The high court on Wednesday agreed to hear a challenge to the 2nd District Court of Appeal decision in Illinois Midwest Insurance Agency v. WCAB (Rodriguez), which rejected the so-called Patterson doctrine that the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board has relied on to retain jurisdiction over authorized requests for ongoing treatment. According to a summary the high court p...