Bill Text: NY S00406 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Authorizes certain care and treatment to injured employees receiving workers' compensation benefits; relates to massage therapy services.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 4-2)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-03 - REFERRED TO LABOR [S00406 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-S00406-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                           406
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                       (Prefiled)
                                     January 4, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen.  ROBACH -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Labor
        AN ACT to amend the workers' compensation law, in relation to  authoriz-
          ing certain care and treatment to injured employees
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. The closing paragraph of subdivision (a) of section  13  of
     2  the  workers'  compensation  law, as amended by chapter 6 of the laws of
     3  2007, is amended to read as follows:
     4    The chair shall prepare and establish a schedule  for  the  state,  or
     5  schedules  limited  to  defined localities, of charges and fees for such
     6  medical treatment and care, and including all medical, dental, surgical,
     7  optometric or other attendance or treatment, nurse and hospital service,
     8  medicine, optometric services, crutches, eye-glasses, false teeth, arti-
     9  ficial eyes, orthotics, prosthetic  devices,  functional  assistive  and
    10  adaptive  devices  and apparatus in accordance with and to be subject to
    11  change pursuant to rules promulgated by the chair. Before preparing such
    12  schedule for the state or schedules for  limited  localities  the  chair
    13  shall  request  the president of the medical society of the state of New
    14  York and the president of the New York state osteopathic medical society
    15  to submit to him or her a report on the amount of remuneration deemed by
    16  such society to be fair and adequate for the types of medical care to be
    17  rendered under this chapter, but consideration shall  be  given  to  the
    18  view  of  other interested parties. In the case of physical therapy fees
    19  schedules the chair shall request the president of a recognized  profes-
    20  sional  association representing physical therapists in the state of New
    21  York to submit to him or her a report  on  the  amount  of  remuneration
    22  deemed  by  such  association  to be fair and reasonable for the type of
    23  physical therapy services rendered under this chapter, but consideration
    24  shall be given to the views of other  interested  parties.    The  chair
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02920-01-7
        S. 406                              2
     1  shall  also prepare and establish a schedule for the state, or schedules
     2  limited to defined localities, of charges and fees for outpatient hospi-
     3  tal services not covered  under  the  medical  fee  schedule  previously
     4  referred to in this subdivision, to be determined in accordance with and
     5  to  be  subject  to  change  pursuant to rules promulgated by the chair.
     6  Before preparing such schedule for the state or  schedules  for  limited
     7  localities the chair shall request the president of the hospital associ-
     8  ation  of  New York state to submit to him or her a report on the amount
     9  of remuneration deemed by such association to be fair and  adequate  for
    10  the types of hospital outpatient care to be rendered under this chapter,
    11  but  consideration  shall  be  given  to  the  views of other interested
    12  parties. In the case of occupational therapy fees  schedules  the  chair
    13  shall  request  the  president  of a recognized professional association
    14  representing occupational therapists in the state of New York to  submit
    15  to  him  or  her  a  report on the amount of remuneration deemed by such
    16  association to be fair and reasonable for the type of occupational ther-
    17  apy services rendered under this chapter,  but  consideration  shall  be
    18  given  to  the views of other interested parties. In the case of massage
    19  therapy fee schedules the chair shall request the president of a  recog-
    20  nized  professional association representing licensed massage therapists
    21  in the state of New York to submit to him or her a report on the  amount
    22  of remuneration deemed by such association to be fair and reasonable for
    23  the  type  of occupational therapy services rendered under this chapter,
    24  but consideration shall be  given  to  the  views  of  other  interested
    25  parties.  The  amounts  payable  by  the employer for such treatment and
    26  services shall be the fees and charges  established  by  such  schedule.
    27  Nothing  in  this  schedule, however, shall prevent voluntary payment of
    28  amounts higher or lower than the fees and charges fixed therein, but  no
    29  physician rendering medical treatment or care, and no physical, licensed
    30  massage  or  occupational therapist rendering their respective physical,
    31  massage or occupational therapy services  may  receive  payment  in  any
    32  higher  amount  unless  such increased amount has been authorized by the
    33  employer, or by decision as provided in section thirteen-g of this arti-
    34  cle. Nothing in this  section  shall  be  construed  as  preventing  the
    35  employment  of  a  duly  authorized  physician  on  a salary basis by an
    36  authorized compensation medical bureau or laboratory.
    37    § 2. Subdivision 1 of section 13-b of the workers' compensation law is
    38  amended by adding a new paragraph (g) to read as follows:
    39    (g) Upon the prescription or  referral  of  an  authorized  physician,
    40  massage  therapy  care may be rendered by a duly licensed massage thera-
    41  pist. Where massage therapy care is rendered, records of  the  patient's
    42  condition  and progress, together with records of instruction for treat-
    43  ment, if any shall be maintained by the message therapist and physician.
    44  Said records shall be submitted to the chair on forms and at such  times
    45  as the chair may require.
    46    §  3.  Subdivision 1 of section 13-g of the workers' compensation law,
    47  as amended by chapter 674 of the laws of 1994, is  amended  to  read  as
    48  follows:
    49    (1)  Within  forty-five  days  after  a  bill has been rendered to the
    50  employer by the hospital, physician or self-employed physical,  licensed
    51  massage or occupational therapist who has rendered treatment pursuant to
    52  a  referral  from the injured employee's authorized physician or author-
    53  ized podiatrist for treatment to the  injured  employee,  such  employer
    54  must  pay  the  bill  or notify the hospital, physician or self-employed
    55  physical, licensed massage or occupational therapist in writing that the
    56  bill is not being paid and explain the reasons for non-payment.  In  the
        S. 406                              3
     1  event  that  the  employer fails to make payment or notify the hospital,
     2  physician or self-employed physical, licensed  massage  or  occupational
     3  therapist  within  such  forty-five day period that payment is not being
     4  made, the hospital, physician, self-employed physical therapist or self-
     5  employed licensed massage therapist or self-employed occupational thera-
     6  pist may notify the chair in writing that the bill has not been paid and
     7  request that the board make an award for payment of such bill. The board
     8  or  the  chair  may  make  an award not in excess of the established fee
     9  schedules for any such bill or part thereof which remains  unpaid  after
    10  said forty-five day period or thirty days after all other questions duly
    11  and  timely  raised  in  accordance with the provisions of this chapter,
    12  relating to the employer's liability for the  payment  of  such  amount,
    13  shall  have been finally determined adversely to the employer, whichever
    14  is later, in accordance with rules promulgated by the  chair,  and  such
    15  award  may  be collected in like manner as an award of compensation. The
    16  chair shall assess the sum of fifty dollars  against  the  employer  for
    17  each  such  award  made  by  the board, which sum shall be paid into the
    18  state treasury.
    19    In the event that the employer has provided an explanation in  writing
    20  why the bill has not been paid, in part or in full, within the aforesaid
    21  time  period,  and  the parties can not agree as to the value of medical
    22  aid rendered under this chapter, such value shall be  decided  by  arbi-
    23  tration  if  requested by the hospital, physician or self-employed phys-
    24  ical, licensed massage or occupational therapist, in accordance with the
    25  provisions of subdivision two or subdivision three of this  section,  as
    26  appropriate, and rules and regulations promulgated by the chair.
    27    Where  a  physician, physical, licensed massage or occupational thera-
    28  pist bill has been determined to be due and owing in accordance with the
    29  provisions of this section the board shall include in the amount of  the
    30  award  interest  of not more than one and one-half per cent (1 1/2%) per
    31  month payable to the physician, physical, licensed  massage  or  occupa-
    32  tional  therapist,  in accordance with the rules and regulations promul-
    33  gated by the board. Interest shall be calculated  from  the  forty-fifth
    34  day  after  the  bill  was  rendered or from the thirtieth day after all
    35  other questions duly and timely raised in accordance with the provisions
    36  of this chapter, relating to the employer's liability for the payment of
    37  such amount, shall have been finally determined adversely to the employ-
    38  er, whichever is later, in accordance  with  rules  promulgated  by  the
    39  chair.
    40    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.