Enrolled Bill Summary

House Bill 888	House Author:  Giddings et al.
Effective:  6-15-07	Senate Sponsor:  Watson

            House Bill 888 amends the Labor Code to require a health care provider, on the written request of an ombudsman for the office of injured employee counsel who is assisting a specific injured employee with a workers' compensation claim, to provide copies of the employee's medical records to the ombudsman at no cost to the ombudsman or the office. The bill requires the workers' compensation insurance carrier to reimburse the provider for the cost of the copies, prohibits the carrier from deducting that cost from any benefit to which the employee is entitled, and provides that the cost be the amount prescribed by commissioner of workers' compensation rules for copying medical records. The bill prohibits the provider from requiring payment for the copies before furnishing them to the ombudsman and authorizes the injured employee public counsel to adopt rules regarding a time frame for providing the copies and for any other related matter. The bill specifies that a failure of a provider or carrier to comply with these requirements or rules is an administrative violation and requires the commissioner to enforce such a violation.