2015 -- S 0185

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LC000755

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2015

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- WORKERS' COMPENSATION --

MEDICAL SERVICES

     Introduced By: Senator James E. Doyle

     Date Introduced: February 05, 2015

     Referred To: Senate Labor

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Section 28-33-5 of the General Laws in Chapter 28-33 entitled "Workers'

Compensation - Benefits" is hereby amended to read as follows:

     28-33-5. Medical services provided by employer. -- The employer shall, subject to the

choice of the employee as provided in § 28-33-8, promptly provide for an injured employee any

reasonable medical, surgical, dental, optical, or other attendance or treatment, nurse and hospital

service, medicines, crutches, and apparatus for such period as is necessary, in order to cure,

rehabilitate or relieve the employee from the effects of his injury; provided, that no fee for major

surgery shall be paid unless permission for it is first obtained from the workers' compensation

court, the employer, or the insurance carrier involved, except where compliance with it may

prove fatal or detrimental to the employee. Irrespective of the date of injury, the liability of the

employer for hospital service rendered under this section to the injured employee shall be the cost

to the hospital of rendering the service at the time the service is rendered. The director, after

consultations with representatives of hospitals, employers, and insurance companies, shall

establish administrative procedures regarding the furnishing and filing of data and the time and

method of billing and may accept as representing the costs for both routine and special services to

patients, costs as computed for the federal Medicare program. Each hospital licensed under

chapter 16 of title 23 which renders services to injured employees under the Workers'

Compensation Act, chapters 29 -- 38 of this title, shall submit and certify to the director, in

accordance with requirements of the administrative procedures established by him or her, its costs

for those services. The employer shall also provide all medical, optical, dental, and surgical

appliances and apparatus required to cure or relieve the employee from the effects of the injury,

including but not being limited to the following: ambulance and nursing service, eyeglasses,

dentures, braces and supports, artificial limbs, crutches, and other similar appliances; provided,

that the employer shall not be liable to pay for or provide hearing aids or other amplification

devices. The reasonable cost of transportation to and from any healthcare provider, incurred by

the employee, as a result of any treatment covered by this section, §§ 28-33-7, 28-33-8 and 28-

33-41 shall be charged to the employer, and if paid for by the employee, he/she shall be

reimbursed in full for these expenses by his/her employer upon presentation of a receipt or other

evidence of expenditure.

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- WORKERS' COMPENSATION --

MEDICAL SERVICES

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     This act would require employers to pay the reasonable transportation costs for

employees that travel round-trip to receive workers' compensation related healthcare services.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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