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Regular Session, 2013
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 129
BY SENATOR CORTEZ
WORKERS' COMPENSATION. Requests that the medical advisory council within the
office of workers' compensation meet and reformulate the medical treatment schedule to
address the need for injured workers to have access to routine physician office visits as well
as uninterrupted prescribed action therapy treatment.
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON1
To urge and request the medical advisory council within the office of workers' compensation2
in the Louisiana Workforce Commission to meet and formulate guidelines to address3
the injured workers' need for routine physician office visits as well as formulate4
guidelines to address the interruption in prescribed action therapy treatment for5
injured workers.6
WHEREAS, the Legislature of Louisiana enacted Act No. 254 of the 2009 Regular7
Session, which created the medical advisory council within the office of workers'8
compensation in the Louisiana Workforce Commission; and9
WHEREAS, the medical advisory council was charged with developing a treatment10
schedule whereby injured workers, who are entitled to workers' compensation benefits,11
would receive certain medical treatment for their injuries based upon the treatments12
prescribed by the medical treatment schedule; and13
WHEREAS, the medical advisory council produced a medical treatment schedule14
in 2011 and the schedule became applicable to all medical treatment which is owed to15
injured workers beginning 2011; and16
WHEREAS, the legislature required that the medical treatment "be developed by the17
conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about18 SCR NO. 129
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the care of individual patients, integrating clinical expertise, which is the proficiency and1
judgment that clinicians acquire through clinical experience and clinical practice, with the2
best available external clinical evidence from systematic research"; and3
WHEREAS, the medical treatment schedule does not address the necessity of routine4
physician office visits, also known as evaluation managements; and5
WHEREAS, patients are being denied basic medical care and routine physician6
office visits by some workers' compensation insurance companies who deny the claims7
because such visits are not specifically provided for in the medical treatment schedule; and8
WHEREAS, patients are being denied adequate access to action therapy because the9
medical treatment guidelines allow for interruption of treatment and delays in receiving10
subsequent action therapy, resulting in a delay to return to work for many injured workers.11
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby12
urge and request the medical advisory council within the office of workers' compensation13
in the Louisiana Workforce Commission to meet and formulate guidelines to address the14
injured workers' need for routine physician office visits as well as formulate guidelines to15
address the interruption in prescribed action therapy treatment for injured workers.16
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the medical advisory council within the office17
of workers' compensation in the Louisiana Workforce Commission report to the Senate18
Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations and the House Committee on Labor and19
Industrial Relations the reformulated guidelines no later than September 1, 2013.20
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the21
medical advisory council within the office of workers' compensation in the Louisiana22
Workforce Commission. 23
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Carla S. Roberts.
DIGEST
Cortez SCR No. 129
Requests the medical advisory council within the office of workers' compensation in the
Louisiana Workforce Commission to meet and formulate guidelines to address the injured
workers' need for routine physician office visits as well as formulate guidelines to address
the interruption in prescribed action therapy treatment for injured workers.
Provides that the medical advisory council report to the Senate Committee on Labor and SCR NO. 129
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Industrial Relations and the House Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations the
reformulated guidelines no later than September 1, 2013.