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:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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evidence of expenditure.

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     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

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

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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