Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2326 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		85R20855 JSC-F
2	2		By: Collier H.B. No. 2326
3		-	Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2326:
4		-	By: Oliveira C.S.H.B. No. 2326
5	3
6	4
7	5		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	6		AN ACT
9	7		relating to medical causation narrative reports created under the
10	8		Texas Workers' Compensation Act.
11	9		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	10		SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 408, Labor Code, is
13	11		amended by adding Section 408.0273 to read as follows:
14	12		Sec. 408.0273. MEDICAL CAUSATION NARRATIVE REPORT. (a) In
15	13		this section, "medical causation narrative report" means an
16	14		original report created by a doctor that explains a causal
17	15		connection, if any, between a compensable workplace injury and the
18	16		diagnoses or conditions specified in the insurance carrier's plain
19	17		language notice disputing the extent of the injured employee's
20	18		compensable injury.
21	19		(b) On receipt of a plain language notice from the insurance
22	20		carrier disputing the extent of an injured employee's compensable
23	21		injury, if the employee does not agree with the statements in the
24	22		plain language notice, the injured employee may request a medical
25	23		causation narrative report addressing the extent of the employee's
26	24		compensable injury from:
27	25		(1) the treating doctor; or
28	26		(2) a doctor to whom the treating doctor has
29	27		previously referred the injured employee and who has treated the
30	28		injured employee.
31	29		(c) An insurance carrier is only required to provide
32	30		reimbursement for one medical causation narrative report for each
33	31		plain language notice disputing the extent of the injured
34	32		employee's compensable injury.
35	33		(d) The commissioner shall adopt rules implementing this
36	34		section to ensure the efficient use of medical causation narrative
37	35		reports and resolution of disputes regarding the extent of an
38	36		injured employee's compensable injury.
39	37		SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies to a
40	38		medical causation narrative report requested in response to a plain
41	39		language notice disputing the extent of the injured employee's
42	40		compensable injury that is issued on or after the effective date of
43	41		this Act, regardless of whether the compensable injury occurred
44	42		before, on, or after that date.
45	43		SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.