Dear Accident Compensation Corporation,

I am writing to request a copy of the ACC Policy/Guidelines that would set out an ACC staff members obligations under the ACC ACT and also their obligations to the ACC Claimant under the Code with respect to fully informing an ACC Claimant of the following intervention prior to having carried out this intervention without their knowledge;

Intervention;

An ACC Staff member communicates with an ACC Claimant's ACC treatment provider (physio) without the ACC Claimant's prior knowledge and or consent, and between them together write to the ACC Claimant's lead surgeon seeking further assessment/guidance on the appropriateness of the ACC claimant's suitability to continue gym based strength training to facilitate a return to their manual based occupation.

Both ACC Staff member and the ACC Claimant's treatment provider have been informed and are fully aware prior to writing the letter that;

1. An additional accident that the surgeon has not been previously informed of by the client, because the ACC staff member had advised the claimant not to approach the surgeon directly,

2. Pain at a higher spinal level followed the additional accident and was ongoing,

and neither the ACC staff member nor the treating physiotherapist made reference to the salient accident/symptom history noted in 1 & 2 above in the letter forwarded to the Surgeon by ACC staff, but signed by physio.

The ACC Claimant was not informed of the letter being sent and thus had no knowledge of the content, nor ability to correct the omissions and inaccuracies/misleading comments in the letter.

Consequences;

The letter goes on to be submitted by ACC for consideration to the IMA Doctor.
The letter then contradicts the ACC Claimant's advice to the IMA doctor that the additional accident occurred, and the added symptoms.

The IMA Doctor omits the accident reported by the ACC Claimant in the IMA and IMRA reports.

I look forward to receiving copies of the relevant ACC Policy/Guidelines that set out the best practice guidelines on the ACC staff member's obligations under the act and to the claimant under the code.

I confirm that under s16(2) of the Official Information Act, my
preferred way of receiving a response is by email to the address
from which ACC received the original request, not by post and thank
you for your time and assistance.

Yours faithfully,

David Lawson

Dear Government Services,

Thank you for confirming on 15th December 2015 that I would receive your response to my OIA question/s today (16th December 2015).

It would be greatly appreciated if you could confirm your reasoning for the non provision of the information that I have requested, beyond the dates you have indicated on two previous and separate occasions.

Yours sincerely,

David Lawson

Dear Government Services,

Thank you for your reply.

1) It would be appreciated if you could confirm whether ACC use the Partially Paid indicator, to identify encounters between an ACC approved treatment provider and an ACC client, where the ACC treatment provider has provided information to ACC that maybe used in circumstances such as the review process.

2) Would a partially paid indicator be used/retained in circumstances where an ACC contracted treatment provider, is requested further information about an encounter between them and the ACC client by ACC or asked to appear on behalf of ACC at a review hearing or district court on behalf of ACC.

3) Do ACC pay a fee for treatment providers that appear on behalf of ACC at review hearings and District Court? If so does this payment then get placed under the Partially Paid indicator when the service is provided to ACC and then the indicator changed to Paid.

4) It would also be appreciated if you could provide all available information on the charges that ACC pay for/to a treatment provider to appear at either a review hearing and or district court.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

David Lawson

Dear Government Services,

Thank you for your update confirming that you now require until the 19th February 2016 to respond to my OIA request.

I confirm that under s16(2) of the Official Information Act, my
preferred way of receiving your response is by email to the address
from which ACC received the original request, not by post and thank
you for your time and assistance.

I look forward to receiving your full response to my OIA request on or before the 19th February 2016.

Yours sincerely,

David Lawson