2005 Legislation
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HOUSE BILL NO. 331 – Workers comp/physician service/fees

HOUSE BILL NO. 331

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Bill Status



H0331......................................................by STATE AFFAIRS
WORKER'S COMPENSATION - Amends existing law relating to worker's
compensation to set forth provisions applicable to setting fees for
physician services.
                                                                        
03/14    House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
03/15    Rpt prt - to Com/HuRes
03/18    Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
03/21    2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
    Rls susp - PASSED - 60-0-10
      AYES -- Anderson, Andrus, Barraclough, Barrett, Bastian, Bayer,
      Bedke, Bell, Bilbao, Block, Boe, Bolz, Bradford, Cannon, Chadderdon,
      Clark, Collins, Crow, Denney, Edmunson(Barker), Ellsworth, Field(18),
      Field(23), Garrett, Hart, Henbest, Henderson, Jaquet, Jones, Kemp,
      Lake, LeFavour, Loertscher, Martinez, Mathews, McGeachin, McKague,
      Miller, Moyle, Nielsen, Nonini, Pasley-Stuart, Pence, Raybould,
      Ringo, Rydalch, Sali, Sayler, Schaefer, Shepherd(2), Shepherd(8),
      Shirley, Skippen, Smith(30), Smith(24), Smylie, Snodgrass, Stevenson,
      Trail, Wood
      NAYS -- None
      Absent and excused -- Black, Deal, Eskridge, Harwood, Mitchell, Ring,
      Roberts, Rusche, Wills, Mr. Speaker
    Floor Sponsor - Mathews
    Title apvd - to Senate
03/22    Senate intro - 1st rdg - to Com/HuRes
03/25    Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
03/29    2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
    Rls susp - PASSED - 35-0-0
      AYES -- Andreason, Brandt, Broadsword, Bunderson, Burkett,
      Burtenshaw, Cameron, Coiner, Compton, Corder, Darrington, Davis,
      Fulcher, Gannon, Geddes, Goedde, Hill, Jorgenson, Kelly, Keough,
      Langhorst, Little, Lodge, Malepeai, Marley, McGee, McKenzie, Pearce,
      Richardson, Schroeder, Stegner, Stennett, Sweet, Werk, Williams
      NAYS -- None
      Absent and excused -- None
    Floor Sponsor - Goedde
    Title apvd - to House
03/30    To enrol
03/31    Rpt enrol - Sp signed - Pres signed
04/04    To Governor
04/13    Governor signed
         Session Law Chapter 371
         Effective: 07/01/05

Bill Text


                                                                        
                                                                        
  ]]]]              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ]]]]
 Fifty-eighth Legislature                   First Regular Session - 2005
                                                                        
                                                                        
                              IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
                                                                        
                                     HOUSE BILL NO. 331
                                                                        
                                 BY STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
                                                                        
  1                                        AN ACT
  2    RELATING TO WORKER'S COMPENSATION; AMENDING SECTION 72-803, IDAHO CODE, TO SET
  3        FORTH PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO SETTING FEES FOR PHYSICIAN SERVICES.
                                                                        
  4    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:
                                                                        
  5        SECTION 1.  That Section 72-803, Idaho Code, be, and the  same  is  hereby
  6    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
  7        72-803.  CLAIMS  OF  ATTORNEYS  AND PHYSICIANS AND FOR MEDICAL AND RELATED
  8    SERVICES -- APPROVAL. Claims of attorneys and claims for medical services  and
  9    for  medicine and related benefits shall be subject to approval by the commis-
 10    sion; provided however, that fees for physician services shall  be  set  using
 11    relative  value units from the current year resource based relative value sys-
 12    tem (RBRVS) as it is modified from time to time, multiplied by conversion fac-
 13    tors to be determined by the commission in rule. Factors will be set  for,  at
 14    least,  the  following  CPT  code areas: medicine, surgery, physical medicine,
 15    radiology, anesthesia and pathology. The fees  shall  be  adjusted  each  year
 16    using  the  same  methodology  as  set forth in section 56-136, Idaho Code. In
 17    cases where RBRVS units are not available or have no  relation  to  industrial
 18    claims,  relative  value units for fees for physician services shall be deter-
 19    mined by the commission. Initial conversion factors shall be determined by the
 20    commission no later than January 1, 2006, to be effective April 1, 2006.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact



                       STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

                            RS 15129C1

The current system of physician compensation adopted by the
Industrial Commission has created reimbursement inequities.  The
Advisory Committee to the Industrial Commission has struggled for
over two years to recommend changes acceptable to all parties
with no result.  Forty (40) states now use a fee schedule as did
Idaho prior to adoption of its current system.  This bill adopts
the fee schedule basis currently used by Blue Cross and Blue
Shield as well as 13 other states and charges the Industrial
Commission with developing responsible conversion factors.


                           FISCAL NOTE

There will be minor costs involved in adapting the Industrial
Commission computer system to recognize RBRVS codes.  Note that
the Industrial Commission is funded by a portion of insurance
premium taxes rather than the general fund.  In theory, workers
compensation rates could be reduced 2% by passage of this bill.


Contact
Name:  Senator John Goedde 
Phone: 208-332-1330


STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE                       H 331