Most injured workers in Florida don’t realize that the state’s workers’ comp system hands the insurance carrier the power to pick your treating doctor. That’s not a small detail that’s the person who documents your injury, determines how serious it is, and influences what your claim is worth. If your claim falls under New York workers’ compensation law, that dynamic changes. In New York, you have the right to choose a WCB-authorized physician, and that physician’s job is to advocate for your recovery, not manage the insurer’s costs.
For Franjo residents many of whom work in construction, healthcare support, and trades across South Miami-Dade a back or spine injury isn’t just a medical problem. It’s a financial emergency. The per capita income here sits close to the Miami-Dade county average, which means most people in this neighborhood cannot absorb weeks of lost wages while a claim drags out or gets underdocumented. Having a treating physician who thoroughly documents your injury, communicates with your attorney and case manager, and builds a complete medical record from day one can be the difference between a protected claim and a dismissed one.
Franjo Road itself is currently mid-construction the Complete Streets overhaul that began in August 2024 has brought active roadwork and heavy equipment directly into this neighborhood. The workers on that project, and on the dozens of similar sites across South Miami-Dade, face daily exposure to the kinds of spinal and soft tissue injuries that we specialize in. When your livelihood depends on your body holding up, the quality of your medical care is not something to leave to whoever the insurer assigns.
We founded NY Spine Medicine in 2008 and lead it with Dr. Douglas Schottenstein, M.D. one of only 200 physicians in the United States who holds double-board certification in both neurology and interventional pain management. That combination matters for spine injuries specifically, because understanding how nerve damage, compression, and chronic pain interact requires more than a general orthopedic background. Dr. Schottenstein completed his pain management fellowship at Columbia University/New York Presbyterian Hospital and holds a faculty appointment at Cornell University as an assistant professor of anesthesiology and neurosurgery.
For Franjo residents navigating a New York workers’ compensation claim from South Florida whether you worked on a project in Manhattan, were employed by a New York-based company, or are continuing care for an injury that started up north we are a New York WCB-authorized provider. You’re not limited to whoever your employer’s insurer selects. Dr. Schottenstein has been named to the Castle Connolly and New York Magazine Best Doctors list for ten consecutive years, and carries a 4.8-star rating across more than 880 verified Zocdoc reviews. This is not a high-volume workers’ comp mill. It is a credentialed, specialized practice built around getting your injury documented accurately and your recovery handled right.
The first step is understanding what kind of claim you have. If your injury occurred while working for a New York employer, on a New York job site, or under a New York workers’ compensation policy, then New York law governs your claim regardless of where you live now. That means you are entitled to be treated by a New York WCB-authorized physician, and you are not required to accept the doctor your Florida-based employer or their insurer tries to assign you.
From there, we offer a free MRI review as a no-cost starting point. If you’ve already had imaging done through a Florida provider, you can send that MRI directly to our practice for a complimentary physician review. This gives you a clear picture of what you’re dealing with before you commit to anything, and it removes the geographic barrier of being a South Florida patient trying to connect with a New York specialist. Once you’re established as a patient, Dr. Schottenstein and our team handle all the documentation that workers’ comp requires injury reports, treatment plans, progress notes, return-to-work assessments, and ongoing communication with your attorney or case manager.
Our treatment approach is built around avoiding surgery wherever possible. We use minimally invasive interventional procedures epidural injections, nerve blocks, radiofrequency lesioning, spinal cord stimulation, and others to manage pain and promote healing without the recovery time or risk that surgery carries. For workers in physically demanding fields, that approach isn’t just a preference. It’s a practical necessity.
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When your claim is filed under New York workers’ compensation, all medically necessary treatment is covered there is no out-of-pocket cost to you as the patient. We bill directly through the New York WCB fee schedule and are in-network with workers’ comp, no-fault insurance, Medicare, and nearly all private insurance plans. You don’t receive a bill for covered care. That’s especially relevant for Franjo residents in working-class trades where a medical bill on top of lost wages would be genuinely destabilizing.
Our diagnostic and treatment capabilities are comprehensive and self-contained. On-site, we perform EMG and nerve conduction studies and X-rays. Off-site MRI and CT referrals are coordinated directly by our practice, so you’re not left trying to piece together care from multiple providers. For workers dealing with back injuries, neck injuries, herniated discs, nerve compression, or chronic pain following a workplace incident, this level of integrated care matters both for your recovery and for the completeness of your medical record.
For Franjo residents who work in South Florida’s construction industry a sector where Hispanic workers face disproportionately high injury rates having a physician who takes the time to fully document the scope of an injury is not a luxury. It’s the foundation of a valid claim. Our approach is individualized: every treatment plan is built around the specific patient and the specific injury, not a one-size-fits-all protocol. We’re open Monday through Saturday, 7 AM to 7 PM, which means appointments don’t have to cost you a day’s wages to attend.
Yes and this is one of the most important things to understand if you have a New York workers’ compensation claim and you’re living in South Florida. Workers’ compensation jurisdiction follows the claim, not the patient’s current address. If your injury occurred on a New York job site, for a New York employer, or under a New York workers’ comp policy, then New York law governs your treatment including your right to choose a New York WCB-authorized physician.
Florida’s workers’ comp system gives employers and insurers control over who treats you. But that rule applies to Florida claims. For a New York claim, you are not bound by it. We are a New York WCB-authorized practice, which means Franjo residents with qualifying New York claims can be treated here without it affecting their coverage. If you’re unsure which state’s law governs your claim, that’s worth confirming with a workers’ comp attorney but the geographic distance between Franjo and Manhattan does not automatically disqualify you from accessing New York-based care.
We focus on pain management and spine conditions which covers the majority of serious workers’ comp injuries. Back injuries, neck injuries, herniated discs, nerve compression, radiculopathy, soft tissue injuries, and chronic pain following a workplace incident are all within our core specialty. Dr. Schottenstein’s double-board certification in neurology and interventional pain management means he brings a neurological lens to spinal injuries that most general pain management physicians cannot.
For workers in the construction, trades, and logistics industries which represent a significant portion of Franjo’s working population these are exactly the injury categories that come up most often. Repetitive strain, acute trauma from equipment or falls, and cumulative spinal damage from physically demanding work are all treated at our practice. We also handle diagnostic workups, including EMG and nerve conduction studies, to establish the clinical basis of your injury which is critical for building a complete and well-documented workers’ comp claim.
We offer a complimentary physician review of your MRI images and yes, it is available regardless of where you live. If you’ve already had an MRI done through a Florida-based provider, you can send a copy directly to our practice for review by Dr. Schottenstein. There’s no cost and no commitment required. The purpose is straightforward: to give you a clear, expert read on what your imaging actually shows before you take any next steps.
This is particularly useful for Franjo residents who may have already been seen by an insurer-assigned Florida doctor and aren’t confident that their injury was fully assessed. A second opinion from a double-board-certified specialist someone with fellowship training from Columbia University/New York Presbyterian and a faculty appointment at Cornell can clarify the severity of your injury, identify anything that may have been missed, and give you a stronger foundation for your New York workers’ comp claim. It’s a practical first step that costs you nothing.
If your claim is accepted under New York workers’ compensation, all medically necessary treatment at our practice is covered you pay nothing out of pocket. We bill directly through the New York WCB fee schedule and accept workers’ comp, no-fault insurance, Medicare, and nearly all private insurance plans. We do not bill patients the difference between what insurance pays and what we charge.
This matters significantly for residents in Franjo, where the average per capita income is close to the Miami-Dade county average and most working families cannot absorb unexpected medical costs on top of lost wages from a work injury. The key condition is that your claim must be filed and accepted under New York workers’ compensation law. If your claim is still pending or disputed, it’s worth speaking with a workers’ comp attorney about your coverage status before beginning treatment but for accepted New York claims, the cost to you as a patient is zero for covered services.
Yes. Documentation is one of the most consequential parts of a workers’ comp claim, and it’s an area where we take a hands-on approach. We manage injury reports, treatment plans, progress notes, return-to-work assessments, and direct communication with employers, case managers, and attorneys. Every piece of documentation that the New York WCB system requires from a treating physician is handled by our practice you don’t have to coordinate that yourself.
For Franjo residents managing a New York claim from South Florida, this is especially important. You’re not physically close to New York, which means you can’t easily walk into an office to sort out a paperwork issue. Having a treating physician who handles all of that communication on your behalf and does it accurately and completely reduces the risk of documentation errors that could delay or reduce your benefits. The thoroughness of your medical record directly affects the outcome of your claim, and that’s not something to leave to chance.
Under New York workers’ compensation law, you can change your treating physician and doing so does not harm your claim. New York gives injured workers broad rights to choose any WCB-authorized provider as their treating physician. If you were initially seen by a doctor selected by your employer or their insurer, and you’re not confident that doctor is documenting your injury fully or advocating for your recovery, you have the legal right to seek treatment from a different WCB-authorized physician.
This is a meaningful distinction for Franjo residents, because Florida’s workers’ comp system works very differently here, the insurer controls physician selection and your options are limited. But for a New York claim, that restriction does not apply. If you’ve already started treatment elsewhere and want to transition your care to us, the process involves notifying the WCB and establishing Dr. Schottenstein as your new treating physician. It’s worth doing sooner rather than later, because the treating physician’s documentation from early in the claim period carries significant weight in how the overall case is evaluated.
