Bill Text: TX HB233 | 2017 | 85th Legislature 1st Special Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to medical causation narrative reports created under the Texas Workers' Compensation Act.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-07-20 - Referred to Business & Industry [HB233 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HB233-Introduced.html
| By: Collier | H.B. No. 233 | |
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| relating to medical causation narrative reports created under the | ||
| Texas Workers' Compensation Act. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 408, Labor Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Section 408.0273 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 408.0273. MEDICAL CAUSATION NARRATIVE REPORT. (a) In | ||
| this section, "medical causation narrative report" means an | ||
| original report created by a doctor that explains a causal | ||
| connection, if any, between a compensable workplace injury and the | ||
| diagnoses or conditions specified in the insurance carrier's plain | ||
| language notice disputing the extent of the injured employee's | ||
| compensable injury. | ||
| (b) On receipt of a plain language notice from the insurance | ||
| carrier disputing the extent of an injured employee's compensable | ||
| injury, if the employee does not agree with the statements in the | ||
| plain language notice, the injured employee may request a medical | ||
| causation narrative report addressing the extent of the employee's | ||
| compensable injury from: | ||
| (1) the treating doctor; or | ||
| (2) a doctor to whom the treating doctor has | ||
| previously referred the injured employee and who has treated the | ||
| injured employee. | ||
| (c) An insurance carrier is only required to provide | ||
| reimbursement for one medical causation narrative report for each | ||
| plain language notice disputing the extent of the injured | ||
| employee's compensable injury. | ||
| (d) The commissioner shall adopt rules implementing this | ||
| section to ensure the efficient use of medical causation narrative | ||
| reports and resolution of disputes regarding the extent of an | ||
| injured employee's compensable injury. | ||
| SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies to a | ||
| medical causation narrative report requested in response to a plain | ||
| language notice disputing the extent of the injured employee's | ||
| compensable injury that is issued on or after the effective date of | ||
| this Act, regardless of whether the compensable injury occurred | ||
| before, on, or after that date. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. | ||
