Senate Bill 1420

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



    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1420

    By Senator Silver





    38-1020-99                                              See HB

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to workers' compensation;

  3         amending s. 440.13, F.S.; deleting an exclusion

  4         of certain chiropractic services from medically

  5         necessary treatment, care, and services under

  6         certain circumstances; amending s. 440.134,

  7         F.S.; including chiropractic physicians under

  8         the term "medical care coordinator" for certain

  9         purposes; providing for access to chiropractic

10         physicians; providing an effective date.

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

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

15  440.13, Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement, is amended to read:

16         440.13  Medical services and supplies; penalty for

17  violations; limitations.--

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

19         (a)  Subject to the limitations specified elsewhere in

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

21  medically necessary remedial treatment, care, and attendance

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

23  recovery may require, including medicines, medical supplies,

24  durable medical equipment, orthoses, prostheses, and other

25  medically necessary apparatus. Remedial treatment, care, and

26  attendance, including work-hardening programs or

27  pain-management programs accredited by the Commission on

28  Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities or Joint Commission

29  on the Accreditation of Health Organizations or

30  pain-management programs affiliated with medical schools,

31  shall be considered as covered treatment only when such care

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






    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1420
    38-1020-99                                              See HB




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

  2  chapter. Each facility shall maintain outcome data, including

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

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

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

  6  Speaker of the House of Representatives regarding the efficacy

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

  8  1, 1994. Medically necessary treatment, care, and attendance

  9  does not include chiropractic services in excess of 18

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

11  chiropractic treatment, whichever comes first, unless the

12  carrier authorizes additional treatment or the employee is

13  catastrophically injured.

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

15  440.134, Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement, is amended to

16  read:

17         440.134  Workers' compensation managed care

18  arrangement.--

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

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

21  provider within a provider network who is responsible for

22  managing the medical care of an injured worker including

23  determining other health care providers and health care

24  facilities to which the injured employee will be referred for

25  evaluation or treatment. A medical care coordinator shall be a

26  physician licensed under chapter 458 or an osteopathic

27  physician licensed under chapter 459, or a chiropractic

28  physician licensed under chapter 460. An injured worker shall

29  have direct access to any chiropractic physician on the

30  managed care panel for the first 18 visits of chiropractic

31  services, after which a chiropractic medical care coordinator

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






    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1420
    38-1020-99                                              See HB




  1  shall determine whether the patient needs additional

  2  chiropractic services.

  3         Section 3.  This act shall take effect October 1, 1999.

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  6                          HOUSE SUMMARY

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      Provides for access to chiropractic physician services
  8    under workers' compensation managed care arrangements.

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