What is a designated doctor?
A designated doctor (DD) is selected by the Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC) to resolve questions about an injured employee's medical condition or resolve a dispute about a work-related injury or illness. The injured employee, the employee's representative or insurance carrier, or DWC can request an exam by a designated doctor. DWC will determine if a designated doctor should be appointed to conduct the exam.
Designated Doctor Minimally Acceptable Candidate Profile
Adoption of Chapter 127 and rule 180.23
- Memo: Revised: Implementation dates for changes to designated doctor and maximum medical improvement (MMI) and impairment rating (IR) rules 6/5/23
- Memo: Implementation dates for changes to designated doctor and maximum medical improvement (MMI) and impairment rating (IR) rules 4/13/23
- Adoption order: 28 TAC Chapter 127
- Adoption order: 28 TAC §180.23
- DWC Form-032, Request for designated doctor examination, Rev. 6/23, for use on or after 6/5/2023
- Formulario DWC-032S, Solicitud para obtener un examen por parte de un médico designado, Rev. 06/23, para usar a partir del 5 de junio de 2023
- Video: Recent changes to the designated doctor program and the DWC Form-032 YouTube
- Video: Completing the DWC Form-032, Request for Designated Doctor Examination YouTube
- DWC Form-067, Designated doctor certification application (for use on or after 4/30/23)
- DWC Form-068, Designated doctor examination data report (for use on or after 6/5/23)
- Changes to the designated doctor program rules
- Designated doctor traumatic brain injury and psychologic impairment | references
- Designated Doctor Second Informal Rule Proposal for Chapters 133 and 134 | audio 12/1/22
- Designated Doctor Exams – Update: Designated Doctor Sales Tax Requirement Delayed
- Designated Doctor Exams - Comptroller Private Letter Ruling No. PLR20220516113922, Sales Tax Applicability
- Memo
- Comptroller Ruling (Superseded)
- FAQ
- Designated Doctor First Informal Rule Proposal to Chapters 133 and 134 Presentation 9/8/22
- New TXCOMP appointment features for designated doctors and required medical examination doctors 8/24/22
- Opportunity to Review and Comment on Designated Doctor Billing and Reimbursement Rules 8/23/22
- DD second informal rule proposal to chapters 127 and 180.23 presentation slides 6/7/22
- Opportunity to review and comment on designated doctor and maximum medical improvement and impairment rating doctor rules 6/2/22
- DWC Publishes New Documents to Help Designated Doctors 5/13/22
- Designated doctor program focus group meeting - March 10, 2022
- Opportunity to review and comment on designated doctor and maximum medical improvement and impairment rating doctor rules 3/4/22
- DWC publishes new Appeals Panel decisions 11/15/21
- DD stakeholder meeting slides 10/27/21
- Required certification training for designated doctors and certifying doctors 07/27/20
- Commissioner’s Bulletin # B-0030-20: Coronavirus (COVID-19) – resuming certain designated doctor examinations and required medical examinations 06/04/20 | related FAQs
- Commissioner's Bulletin B-0012-20: Coronavirus (COVID-19) - suspension of certain provisions of the labor code and DWC rules related to workers’ compensation 03/27/20 | related FAQs
- Commissioner’s Bulletin B-0010-20: Coronavirus (COVID-19) - workers’ compensation issues 03/25/20 | related FAQs
- You must take required training, test, and reapply every two years.
- You must subscribe to, or own, the following publications:
- MMI/IR authorized doctors must take required training, test, and notify OMA@tdi.texas.gov.
- Ancillary healthcare providers who assist designated doctors and MMI/IR certifying doctors (physical therapists, occupational therapists, non-licensed technicians, etc.) must take required training every two years.
- You must subscribe to, or own, the following publications:
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New TXCOMP appointment features for DDs and RME doctors
Starting Monday, September 19, 2022, doctors and their administrators must use TXCOMP to:
- accept and manage designated doctor appointments, and
- file required reports online.
TXCOMP appointment features for DDs and RMEs training
Tips to successfully upload your reports in TXCOMP:
- Files format must be one of the following:
- Microsoft Word (.doc and .docx),
- Microsoft Excel (.xls and .xlsx),
- Read-only Portable Document Format (.pdf), or
- Tagged Image Format (.tif and .tiff).
- Files size must be less than 10MB.
- File name must be less than 100
- When uploading a DWC Form-069 and narrative both file names together must be less than 100 characters.
- These special characters are not allowed in the file name: < > : “ / \ | ? * , ; -
Note: Compressed or "zipped" files are not accepted.
- Coronavirus Resources
- DWC Form-032, Request for Designated Doctor Examination
- DWC Form-067, Designated Doctor Certification Application
- DWC Form-068, Designated Doctor Examination Data Report
- DWC Form-069, Report of Medical Evaluation
- DWC Form-073, Work Status Report
- DWC Form-120, Designation of Administrative Services Company Administrator
- Fast Facts: Financial Disclosure
- Run report for number of designated doctors and appointments by county and month
- Appeals Panel Decisions for Designated Doctors
- Billing and Reimbursement for Designated Doctor Examinations and Required Medical Examinations
- Billing and Reimbursement for Maximum Medical Improvement and Impairment Rating Examinations by Certifying Doctor
- 2019 TXCOMP Health Care Provider system training for designated doctors
- 2019 TXCOMP Health Care Provider system training for scheduling companies
- Designated Doctor Performance Review Procedure
- News Archive
- Texas Labor Code Chapter 408.0041. Designated Doctor Examination
- Texas Labor Code Chapter 408.1225. Designated Doctor
- 28 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 127 Designated Doctor Scheduling and Examination
- 28 TAC 130.1 Certification of Maximum Medical Improvement and Evaluation of Permanent Impairment