2017 -- S 0079

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LC000546

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017

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A N   A C T

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

MEDICAL SERVICES

     Introduced By: Senators Doyle, and Ciccone

     Date Introduced: January 18, 2017

     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 health care 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, they shall be reimbursed in

full for these expenses by their employer, upon presentation of a receipt or other evidence of

payment.

     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 health care services.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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