After NBC Bay Area News aired a series of stories about the workers’ compensation system last year, they received more than 150 emails, phone calls and Facebook messages from injured workers, doctors and attorneys about their struggles navigating the system.

Since then, George Parisotto, Acting Director of the California Division of Workers’ Compensation, has agreed to hear these stories. NBC Bay Area News is working to compile such information to send on to Parisotto. Their deadline is January 27, 2017.

Individuals who wish to share their stories should contact Liz Wagner, an investigative reporter with NBC Bay Area News, at elizabeth.wagner@nbcuni.com.

Physicians should ensure that proper patient authorizations are obtained prior to disclosing protected health information to the media for advocacy purposes. In addition, such disclosures will need to be logged in an accounting of disclosures that must be provided to the patient upon request.