Medical Care & Treatment Disputes

You don't agree with your treating doctor's diagnosis, or you feel like your treatment plan isn't working — but Arizona doesn't hand you a simple "request a second opinion" button.

Second Opinion or Change of Physician in an Arizona Workers' Comp Claim

Arizona workers' comp runs on what's usually called an attending-physician model: your employer's insurance carrier controls who treats you from the start of the claim. If you want a different doctor's opinion, the path that actually works under Arizona law is called a change of physician, not a second opinion, and it requires someone with authority to sign off on it first. That distinction matters, because trying to just show up at a new doctor's office on your own can put payment for that visit at risk.

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A.R.S. § 23-1071(B) requires written authorization from the attending physician, the carrier, or the Industrial Commission before a worker can change doctors.

The Industrial Commission of Arizona (ICA) can order a change of physician on its own under A.R.S. § 23-1070(E) if there's reasonable ground to believe your health, life, or recovery is being endangered by your current treatment.

Disputes over denied or terminated treatment generally have to be challenged within 90 days of the notice, under A.R.S. § 23-947, or the carrier's determination becomes final.

Quick answer

Quick Answer

Arizona law doesn't create a separate, named "right to a second opinion" the way some states do. What people usually mean by that is a change of treating physician, which is governed by A.R.S. § 23-1071(B). That statute is short and blunt: an employee may not change doctors without written authorization from one of three sources — the current attending physician, the insurance carrier or self-insured employer, or the Industrial Commission of Arizona itself.

In practice, that gives you three doors to try. Ask your attending physician for a referral. Ask the carrier or claims adjuster to approve a different doctor. Or, if both of those stall or get refused, petition the ICA directly and ask it to order the change. Each door leads to the same outcome — a new treating physician — but they involve different paperwork and different people saying yes.

Arizona workers comp pages

Overview

How Arizona's Change-of-Physician Process Actually Works

Most states that use an attending-physician system also give injured workers a formal, one-time statutory right to switch doctors on demand. Arizona's statute doesn't read that way. A.R.S. § 23-1071(B) states plainly that "no employee may change doctors without the written authorization of the insurance carrier, the commission or the attending physician." There's no separate section labeled "second opinions" — what people describe as getting a second opinion is, procedurally, this same change-of-physician request. Treat the two as the same process, because that's how the carrier and the Commission will treat it.

That written-authorization requirement is doing a lot of work. It means the decision to switch doctors isn't automatically yours to make just because you're unhappy with a diagnosis or a treatment plan. One of the three parties named in the statute has to sign off first: your attending physician can refer you out, the carrier or self-insured employer can approve a different provider, or the Industrial Commission can authorize the change through its claims process. If none of them agree and you go see a different doctor anyway, the carrier may refuse to pay for that care, since it was never authorized under § 23-1071(B).

The Commission has its own independent authority to step in here as well. Under A.R.S. § 23-1070(E), if there's reasonable ground to believe your health, life, or recovery is being endangered or impaired by the treatment you're currently receiving, the ICA can order a change of physicians — either because you asked it to or on its own initiative. This is generally the route people mean when they talk about petitioning the Commission for a new doctor: it isn't a rubber-stamp process, but it exists specifically for situations where the current treatment appears to be doing more harm than good, not just for garden-variety disagreement about a treatment plan.

It's also worth separating this from a different kind of doctor visit you may encounter in the same claim: an examination the carrier, your employer, or the Commission requires you to attend. Under A.R.S. § 23-1026, you're required to submit to a medical examination when the commission, employer, or carrier requests one — including, with your consent, by telehealth — and refusing suspends your compensation until you comply. That exam is the carrier checking on your condition on its terms, which is a different thing from you seeking a change in who's treating you. Both processes can be happening on the same claim at the same time, and it helps to know which one you're dealing with.

Process

Steps to Pursue a Change of Physician

Start with your attending physician. Tell them directly that you want a referral to a specialist or a different provider — a referral from the attending physician is one of the three forms of authorization recognized under A.R.S. § 23-1071(B), and it's usually the fastest path if your doctor agrees.
If your doctor won't refer you, put the request to the insurance carrier or self-insured employer's claims adjuster in writing. Explain specifically why you're requesting the change — a diagnosis you disagree with, a treatment plan that isn't working, or a provider you're no longer comfortable with.
If the attending physician and the carrier both decline, or you get no response, take the request to the ICA Claims Division. The Commission maintains a process for petitioning to change doctors when the physician and carrier haven't agreed to one, which is the third authorization path under § 23-1071(B).
If you believe your health, life, or recovery is actually being harmed by your current treatment — not just that you'd prefer a different opinion — say so explicitly in your petition to the Commission. That's the specific standard under A.R.S. § 23-1070(E) that lets the ICA order a change on its own.
Keep your own written record as you go: dates of requests, who you spoke with, what was said, and copies of anything submitted in writing. If this ends up in front of the Commission, that record is what supports your side of the story.
If the carrier denies or terminates treatment outright and you disagree with that decision, don't let the clock run out — a Request for Hearing generally needs to be filed within 90 days of the notice under A.R.S. § 23-947, or the determination becomes final and can't be challenged later.

Benefits and value

How This Affects Your Benefits

Pursuing a change of physician is separate from your right to ongoing wage-replacement benefits — requesting one doesn't, by itself, put your compensation at risk.
Refusing a medical examination properly requested by the commission, your employer, or the carrier under A.R.S. § 23-1026 does put your compensation at risk: it can be suspended until you attend the exam.
Seeing an unauthorized doctor without the sign-off of your attending physician, the carrier, or the ICA under A.R.S. § 23-1071(B) can mean the carrier declines to cover that visit, separate from your other benefits.
If a treatment denial or termination is later reversed through the ICA hearing process, that generally restores your access to the medical care in dispute going forward — but the timing depends on the specific hearing and Commission order.

Common risks

Common Mistakes and Risks

Switching doctors on your own, without written authorization from your attending physician, the carrier, or the ICA, risks having that care go unpaid — Arizona's statute is explicit that authorization has to come first.
Letting the 90-day window under A.R.S. § 23-947 pass without filing a Request for Hearing after a denial or termination notice: once that period runs, the carrier's determination generally becomes final and res judicata, closing off your ability to challenge it later.
Treating a disagreement with your doctor's bedside manner the same as a request under A.R.S. § 23-1070(E) — that provision is aimed at situations where health, life, or recovery is being endangered, which is a higher bar than general dissatisfaction.
Ignoring or refusing a properly requested medical exam under A.R.S. § 23-1026. Even if you disagree with the need for it, refusal suspends your compensation until you comply, so it's usually better to attend and address disagreements through the proper dispute channel afterward.
Relying only on a verbal okay from an adjuster or doctor. Because § 23-1071(B) specifically requires written authorization, get the approval in writing before you switch providers.

Why legal help matters

When to Get Help With This Process

Change-of-physician requests can move quickly from a simple conversation with your doctor into a formal petition before the Industrial Commission, especially if the carrier isn't cooperating or your treatment has already been denied or cut off. Knowing which of the three authorization paths under A.R.S. § 23-1071(B) to pursue — and how to frame a request under A.R.S. § 23-1070(E) if your health is genuinely at risk — can shape how quickly you get in front of a different doctor.

If you're inside the 90-day window under A.R.S. § 23-947 after a denial or termination notice, that deadline doesn't move, and missing it can end your ability to contest the decision at all. If you're unsure whether your situation fits the change-of-physician process, the ICA petition process, or a hearing over a denied treatment, it's worth getting a second set of eyes on your specific claim before a deadline passes.

This page is educational and doesn't replace individualized legal or medical advice. This site is an independent educational and referral platform — not a law firm, medical provider, or government agency — and outcomes in any workers' comp matter depend on the specific facts of your claim.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Arizona law give injured workers a formal right to a "second opinion"?

Not as a separate, named right. What's commonly called a second opinion is handled through Arizona's change-of-physician process under A.R.S. § 23-1071(B), which requires written authorization from your attending physician, the carrier, or the Industrial Commission before you can switch to a different doctor.

How do I actually change doctors on an Arizona workers' comp claim?

There are three recognized routes under A.R.S. § 23-1071(B): get a referral from your current attending physician, get written approval from the insurance carrier or self-insured employer, or petition the Industrial Commission of Arizona to authorize the change.

What if my doctor and the carrier both refuse to let me switch?

You can petition the ICA Claims Division directly and ask the Commission to authorize the change. If there's reasonable ground to believe your health, life, or recovery is being endangered by your current treatment, the Commission also has independent authority to order a change under A.R.S. § 23-1070(E).

Can I just go see a different doctor on my own?

That's risky. A.R.S. § 23-1071(B) states that no employee may change doctors without written authorization from the attending physician, the carrier, or the Commission. Seeing an unauthorized provider can mean the carrier declines to pay for that visit.

Is a carrier-requested medical exam the same thing as a second opinion?

No. Under A.R.S. § 23-1026, the commission, your employer, or the carrier can require you to attend a medical examination (including by telehealth, with your consent), and refusing suspends your compensation until you comply. That's the carrier evaluating your condition on its terms — different from you requesting a change in who treats you.

How long do I have to challenge a denied or terminated treatment?

Generally 90 days from the relevant notice. A.R.S. § 23-947 requires a Request for Hearing to be filed within that window, or the determination becomes final and res judicata, meaning it generally can't be challenged after that.

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