AgdaPkt 2003-06-09 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

• 1 �� WORKERS COMP from page 1 ......................................... The question is, will the legislature act this year to provide the relief that both employers and employees so urgently need? The following lists the measures and ap- proaches currently under consideration. Senate Proposal an official utilization schedule which shall be based on prescribed findings and recommendations, that specifies utilization guidelines and protocols for purposes of the workers' compensatio, law. SB 899 (Poochigian) - This bill would add outpatient surgery to the list of medical goods or services for which it is unlawful for a physician to refer a person under this provision. All of the workers' compensation bills in the Senate are being linked to SB 229 (Burton) in order to create one vehicle that addresses workers' comp this year. SB 229 would prohibit the State Compen- sation Insurance Fund (SCIF) from raising small employers' premiums, for a two -year period, if the small employers are claim free for five years and if they provide health insurance coverage for their employees. The bill would also require SCIF to investigate the feasibility of a permanent premium discount for employers who provide health insur- ance, and to require SCIF to submit their findings to the legislature by January 1, 2005. The following bills are contingent upon the passage of SB 229 and are making their way through the legislative process: SB 191 (Alarcon) - This bill regulates and stabilizes the workers compensation insurance market, by requiring that workers' compensation insurance rates not be excessive. SB 223 (Margett) - This bill would provide that generic drugs be prescribed by any person or entity that dispenses medicines and medical sup- plies to a worker to cure or relieve the effects of an injury covered by workers' compensation. SB 228 (Alarcon) - This bill streamlines and simplifies medical billing in the California workers compensation system for the purpose of achieving cost savings. SB 354 (Speier) — This bill limits chiropractic visits under the workers' compensation system to 15 visits unless the injured worker has received written approval by a physician. SB 457 (McPherson) — This bill would express the Legislature's intent that the Division of Workers' Compensation within the Department of Industrial Relations review the effectiveness of provisions in penalizing and deterring unreasonably late and denied benefit payments. SB 757 (Poochigian) — This bill would require the administrative director by July 1, 2004, to adopt Assembly Proposal The following bills are not contingent upon the passage of SB 229 (Burton). AB 1483 (Richman) - this bill would require every physician who treats and evaluates injured workers to be certified by the Industrial Medical Council as a Qualified Workers' Compensation Physician (QWCP), among other requirements. AB 1579 (Cogdill) - Existing law provides that it is unlawful for a physician to refer a person for clinical laboratory, diagnostic nuclear medicine, radiation oncology, physical therapy, physical rehabilitation, psychometric testing, home infusion therapy, or diagnostic imaging goods or services whether for treatment or medical -legal purposes if the physician or his or her immediate family has a financial interest with the person or in the entity that receives the referral. This bill would extend the application of this provision to outpatient surgery goods or services. AB 1099 (Negrete- McLeod) - This bill would include the Employment Development Department among the agencies authorized to request and receive information regarding workers' compensa- tion fraud. AB 1215 (Vargas) - This bill requires the State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF), in conjunc- tion with the Employment Development Department (EDD), to develop a system to provide workers' compensation insurers access to EDD quarterly wage data to aid in detection of workers' compensa- tion fraud. Governor's Proposal 1. Set an outpatient surgery fee schedule, strengthen prompt pay, and require insurers to accept or reject workers' compensation claims in 45 days (SB 228 — Alarcon) Continued on Page 7 PAGE 6 /PRIORITY FOCUS Visit the League's Official Web Site-- www.cacities.org