House Bill 3721

    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 3721

        By Representative Futch






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to workers' compensation;

  3         amending ss. 440.13, 440.134, F.S.; providing

  4         for review of patients' needs for chiropractic

  5         services in certain situations; deleting

  6         obsolete provisions; providing an effective

  7         date.

  8

  9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

10

11         Section 1.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section

12  440.13, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

13         440.13  Medical services and supplies; penalty for

14  violations; limitations.--

15         (2)  MEDICAL TREATMENT; DUTY OF EMPLOYER TO FURNISH.--

16         (a)  Subject to the limitations specified elsewhere in

17  this chapter, the employer shall furnish to the employee such

18  medically necessary remedial treatment, care, and attendance

19  for such period as the nature of the injury or the process of

20  recovery may require, including medicines, medical supplies,

21  durable medical equipment, orthoses, prostheses, and other

22  medically necessary apparatus. Remedial treatment, care, and

23  attendance, including work-hardening programs or

24  pain-management programs accredited by the Commission on

25  Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities or Joint Commission

26  on the Accreditation of Health Organizations or

27  pain-management programs affiliated with medical schools,

28  shall be considered as covered treatment only when such care

29  is given based on a referral by a physician as defined in this

30  chapter. Each facility shall maintain outcome data, including

31  work status at discharges, total program charges, total number

                                  1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 3721

    531-157-98






  1  of visits, and length of stay. The department shall utilize

  2  such data and report to the President of the Senate and the

  3  Speaker of the House of Representatives regarding the efficacy

  4  and cost-effectiveness of such program, no later than October

  5  1, 1994. Medically necessary treatment, care, and attendance

  6  does not include chiropractic services in excess of 18

  7  treatments or rendered 8 weeks beyond the date of the initial

  8  chiropractic treatment, whichever comes first, unless the

  9  carrier authorizes additional treatment or the employee is

10  catastrophically injured.

11         Section 2.  Paragraph (i) of subsection (1) of section

12  440.134, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

13         440.134  Workers' compensation managed care

14  arrangement.--

15         (1)  As used in this section, the term:

16         (i)  "Medical care coordinator" means a primary care

17  provider within a provider network who is responsible for

18  managing the medical care of an injured worker including

19  determining other health care providers and health care

20  facilities to which the injured employee will be referred for

21  evaluation or treatment. A medical care coordinator must shall

22  be a physician licensed under chapter 458, or an osteopathic

23  physician licensed under chapter 459, or a chiropractic

24  physician licensed under chapter 460. A medical care

25  coordinator licensed under chapter 460 must be assigned to any

26  person who seeks chiropractic services, and such medical care

27  coordinator shall determine whether the patient needs

28  additional chiropractic services after an initial series of 18

29  chiropractic treatments.

30         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1998.

31

                                  2

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 3721

    531-157-98






  1            *****************************************

  2                          SENATE SUMMARY

  3    Revises provisions related to chiropractic treatment for
      patients under workers' compensation. Deletes a provision
  4    that limits such treatment to 18 treatments or 8 weeks
      and provides for a review by a chiropractor, serving as a
  5    medical care coordinator, to determine whether a patient
      needs further treatments after receiving the 18
  6    treatments.

  7

  8

  9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

                                  3