Yes - in Massachusetts, you can usually treat with your own doctor for a work injury, not just the company doctor.

If you slipped on black ice loading up near Route 18 in New Bedford and your supervisor told you that you have to see the employer's clinic, that is often not the full story. Under Massachusetts workers' comp, the injured worker generally has the right to choose the treating doctor, including an OB/GYN if you're pregnant and worried about the baby after a fall or crash.

That matters because the "company doctor only" line is a common pressure tactic.

What to do right away:

• Tell every provider the injury is work-related
• Ask the doctor to document your injury, pregnancy, symptoms, work restrictions, and fetal monitoring needs
• Give your employer written notice of the injury as soon as possible
• Keep copies of visit notes, out-of-work slips, and bills

In Massachusetts, once your employer knows you lost 5 or more full or partial calendar days from work, it generally must file the claim paperwork with its insurer and the Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA) within 7 days. The insurer then has 14 days to either start paying or deny the claim.

Your employer or the insurer can send you to an exam with their doctor, but that does not mean that doctor becomes your treating physician. It is usually an insurance exam, not your ongoing care.

If you need pregnancy monitoring after a work injury - fetal checks, follow-up ultrasounds, labor-and-delivery evaluation, or treatment for pain that affects the pregnancy - those can be part of the workers' comp medical claim if your doctor ties them to the job injury.

If your boss cuts your hours, threatens your job, or punishes you for filing, that raises a retaliation issue under Massachusetts law. And if the injury came from someone besides your employer - like another driver, a subcontractor, or a property owner - you may also have a separate third-party claim on top of workers' comp.