An employee is considered a covered employee in the Medical Provider Network when the employer?

• A. Provides a notice explaining access to the MPN on a website.
• B. Provides a MPN with 5 physicians within 15 miles.
• C. Provides a MPN with 3 physicians within 25 miles.
• D. Provides the EE with an implementation notice containing information about the MPN and how to access care.

Answer: (D)

The key idea is that coverage under a Medical Provider Network starts when the employer gives the employee an implementation notice that explains the MPN and how to access care. That implementation notice is the formal step that activates the employee’s access to in-network medical treatment for workers’ compensation. It should clearly describe what the MPN is, how to access care within the network, and the process or contacts for obtaining treatment.

Providing a notice only on a website, or assembling a list of a certain number of physicians within a distance, does not by itself establish coverage. Those elements don’t fulfill the required implementation notice—the document that formally informs the employee about the MPN and how to use it. The implementation notice is the specific action that makes the employee a covered participant in the MPN.