{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/65.2-607.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/65.2-607.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/65.2-607.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/65.2-607.html"}],"law_id":71780,"edition_id":1,"section_id":71780,"structure_id":14804,"section_number":"65.2-607","catch_line":"Medical examination; physician-patient privilege inapplicable; autopsy","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 65-88; 1968, c. 660, \u00a7 65.1-91; 1991, c. 355; 1993, c. 379.","full_text":"A\n\nAfter an injury and so long as he claims compensation, the employee, if so requested by his employer or ordered by the Commission, shall submit himself to examination, at reasonable times and places, by a duly qualified physician or surgeon designated and paid by the employer or the Commission. However, no employer may obtain more than one examination per medical specialty without prior authorization from the Commission, based upon a showing of good cause or necessity. The employee shall have the right to have present at such examination any duly qualified physician or surgeon provided and paid by him. No fact communicated to, or otherwise learned by, any physician or surgeon who may have attended or examined the employee, or who may have been present at any examination, shall be privileged, either in hearings provided for by this title, or any action at law brought to recover damages against any employer subject to the provisions of this title.B\n\nIf the employee refuses to submit himself to or in any way obstructs such examination requested by and provided for by the employer, his right to compensation and his right to take or prosecute any proceedings under this title shall be suspended until such refusal or objection ceases and no compensation shall at any time be payable for the period of suspension unless in the opinion of the Commission the circumstances justify the refusal or obstruction.C\n\nThe employer or the Commission may in any case of death require an autopsy at the expense of the party requesting the same. Such autopsy shall be performed upon order of the Commission, and anyone obstructing or interfering with such autopsy shall be punished for contempt.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":258604,"text":"After an injury and so long as he claims compensation, the employee, if so requested by his employer or ordered by the Commission, shall submit himself to examination, at reasonable times and places, by a duly qualified physician or surgeon designated and paid by the employer or the Commission. However, no employer may obtain more than one examination per medical specialty without prior authorization from the Commission, based upon a showing of good cause or necessity. The employee shall have the right to have present at such examination any duly qualified physician or surgeon provided and paid by him. No fact communicated to, or otherwise learned by, any physician or surgeon who may have attended or examined the employee, or who may have been present at any examination, shall be privileged, either in hearings provided for by this title, or any action at law brought to recover damages against any employer subject to the provisions of this title.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":258605,"text":"If the employee refuses to submit himself to or in any way obstructs such examination requested by and provided for by the employer, his right to compensation and his right to take or prosecute any proceedings under this title shall be suspended until such refusal or objection ceases and no compensation shall at any time be payable for the period of suspension unless in the opinion of the Commission the circumstances justify the refusal or obstruction.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":258606,"text":"The employer or the Commission may in any case of death require an autopsy at the expense of the party requesting the same. Such autopsy shall be performed upon order of the Commission, and anyone obstructing or interfering with such autopsy shall be punished for contempt.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B"}},"ancestry":[{"id":14804,"edition_id":1,"name":"Notice of Accident; Filing Claims; Medical Attention and Examination","identifier":"6","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13199,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:50:02","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:50:02","permalink":{"id":276527,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14804,"identifier":"6","token":"65.2\/6","url":"\/65.2\/6\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13199,"edition_id":1,"name":"Workers' Compensation","identifier":"65.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:26","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:26","permalink":{"id":276115,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13199,"identifier":"65.2","token":"65.2","url":"\/65.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":81142,"structure_id":14804,"section_number":"65.2-600","catch_line":"Notice of accident","url":"\/65.2-600\/","token":"65.2\/6\/65.2-600","metadata":false},{"id":60353,"structure_id":14804,"section_number":"65.2-601","catch_line":"Time for filing claim","url":"\/65.2-601\/","token":"65.2\/6\/65.2-601","metadata":false},{"id":80844,"structure_id":14804,"section_number":"65.2-601.1","catch_line":"Effect of filing claim; stay of debt collection activities by health care providers","url":"\/65.2-601.1\/","token":"65.2\/6\/65.2-601.1","metadata":false},{"id":83079,"structure_id":14804,"section_number":"65.2-601.2","catch_line":"Notice to employee of employer's intent","url":"\/65.2-601.2\/","token":"65.2\/6\/65.2-601.2","metadata":false},{"id":76135,"structure_id":14804,"section_number":"65.2-601.3","catch_line":"Notice of right to dispute claim","url":"\/65.2-601.3\/","token":"65.2\/6\/65.2-601.3","metadata":false},{"id":60208,"structure_id":14804,"section_number":"65.2-602","catch_line":"Tolling of statute of limitations","url":"\/65.2-602\/","token":"65.2\/6\/65.2-602","metadata":false},{"id":82651,"structure_id":14804,"section_number":"65.2-603","catch_line":"Duty to furnish medical attention, etc., and vocational rehabilitation; effect of refusal of employee to accept","url":"\/65.2-603\/","token":"65.2\/6\/65.2-603","metadata":false},{"id":69148,"structure_id":14804,"section_number":"65.2-603.1","catch_line":"Use of therapeutically equivalent drug products required","url":"\/65.2-603.1\/","token":"65.2\/6\/65.2-603.1","metadata":false},{"id":70150,"structure_id":14804,"section_number":"65.2-604","catch_line":"Furnishing copy of medical report","url":"\/65.2-604\/","token":"65.2\/6\/65.2-604","metadata":false},{"id":67541,"structure_id":14804,"section_number":"65.2-605","catch_line":"Liability of employer for medical services ordered by Commission; fee schedules for medical services; malpractice; assistants-at-surgery; coding","url":"\/65.2-605\/","token":"65.2\/6\/65.2-605","metadata":false},{"id":71627,"structure_id":14804,"section_number":"65.2-605.1","catch_line":"Prompt payment; limitation on claims","url":"\/65.2-605.1\/","token":"65.2\/6\/65.2-605.1","metadata":false},{"id":74938,"structure_id":14804,"section_number":"65.2-605.2","catch_line":"Biennial peer-reviewed studies","url":"\/65.2-605.2\/","token":"65.2\/6\/65.2-605.2","metadata":false},{"id":56629,"structure_id":14804,"section_number":"65.2-606","catch_line":"Physicians for medical examination","url":"\/65.2-606\/","token":"65.2\/6\/65.2-606","metadata":false},{"id":71780,"structure_id":14804,"section_number":"65.2-607","catch_line":"Medical examination; physician-patient privilege inapplicable; autopsy","url":"\/65.2-607\/","token":"65.2\/6\/65.2-607","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":56629,"structure_id":14804,"section_number":"65.2-606","catch_line":"Physicians for medical examination","url":"\/65.2-606\/","token":"65.2\/6\/65.2-606","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/65.2-607\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 3 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1968, chapter 660; in 1991, chapter 355; in 1993, chapter 379.<\/p>","references":[{"id":58930,"section_number":"32.1-127.1:03","catch_line":"Health records privacy","order_by":null,"url":"\/32.1-127.1_03\/"},{"id":82405,"section_number":"8.01-399","catch_line":"Communications between physicians and patients (Supreme Court Rule 2:505 derived from this section)","order_by":null,"url":"\/8.01-399\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":276581,"object_type":"law","relational_id":71780,"identifier":"65.2-607","token":"65.2\/6\/65.2-607","url":"\/65.2-607\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/65.2-607\/","token":"65.2\/6\/65.2-607","dublin_core":{"Title":"Medical examination; physician-patient privilege inapplicable; autopsy","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 65.2-607","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> After an injury<\/span> and so long as he claims compensation, the employee, if so requested by his employer<\/span> or ordered by the Commission<\/span>, shall submit himself to examination, at reasonable times and places, by a duly qualified physician or surgeon designated and paid by the employer<\/span> or the Commission<\/span>. However, no employer<\/span> may obtain more than one examination per medical specialty without prior authorization from the Commission<\/span>, based upon a showing of good cause or necessity. The employee shall have the right to have present at such examination any duly qualified physician or surgeon provided and paid by him. No fact<\/span> communicated to, or otherwise learned by, any physician or surgeon who may have attended or examined the employee, or who may have been present at any examination, shall be privileged, either in hearings<\/span> provided for by this title, or any action at law<\/span> brought to recover damages<\/span> against any employer<\/span> subject to the provisions of this title. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> If the employee refuses to submit himself to or in any way obstructs such examination requested by and provided for by the employer<\/span>, his right to compensation and his right to take or prosecute<\/span> any proceedings under this title shall be suspended until such refusal or objection ceases and no compensation shall at any time be payable for the period of suspension unless in the opinion<\/span> of the Commission<\/span> the circumstances justify the refusal or obstruction. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> The employer<\/span> or the Commission<\/span> may in any case of death require an autopsy at the expense of the party<\/span> requesting the same. Such autopsy shall be performed upon order<\/span> of the Commission<\/span>, and anyone obstructing or interfering with such autopsy shall be punished for contempt<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nMEDICAL EXAMINATION; PHYSICIAN-PATIENT PRIVILEGE INAPPLICABLE; AUTOPSY (\u00a7\n65.2-607)\n\nA. After an injury and so long as he claims compensation, the employee, if so\nrequested by his employer or ordered by the Commission, shall submit himself to\nexamination, at reasonable times and places, by a duly qualified physician or\nsurgeon designated and paid by the employer or the Commission. However, no\nemployer may obtain more than one examination per medical specialty without\nprior authorization from the Commission, based upon a showing of good cause or\nnecessity. The employee shall have the right to have present at such examination\nany duly qualified physician or surgeon provided and paid by him. No fact\ncommunicated to, or otherwise learned by, any physician or surgeon who may have\nattended or examined the employee, or who may have been present at any\nexamination, shall be privileged, either in hearings provided for by this title,\nor any action at law brought to recover damages against any employer subject to\nthe provisions of this title.\n\nB. If the employee refuses to submit himself to or in any way obstructs such\nexamination requested by and provided for by the employer, his right to\ncompensation and his right to take or prosecute any proceedings under this title\nshall be suspended until such refusal or objection ceases and no compensation\nshall at any time be payable for the period of suspension unless in the opinion\nof the Commission the circumstances justify the refusal or obstruction.\n\nC. The employer or the Commission may in any case of death require an autopsy at\nthe expense of the party requesting the same. Such autopsy shall be performed\nupon order of the Commission, and anyone obstructing or interfering with such\nautopsy shall be punished for contempt.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 65-88; 1968, c. 660, \u00a7 65.1-91; 1991, c. 355; 1993, c.\n379.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}