4123-6-43 Payment for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulators and neuromuscular electrical stimulators.

 

 

 

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

 

The Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, January 6, 2004, at 11:00 a.m., Training Room G, 3rd Floor, 30 West Spring Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215, to consider the following:

 

(1) Amendment of the following rules of the Bureau of Workers' Compensation for the purpose as shown below:

 

4123-6-37          Payment of hospital bills.

 

The proposed changes to the HPP hospital payment rule provide that except in cases of an emergency as defined in the HPP rules, prior authorization must be obtained in advance of all hospitalizations. The hospital must notify the bureau and/or the injured worker's MCO of emergency inpatient admissions within one business day of the admission. Additionally, the amendments provide that in situations where the emergency room is being utilized to deliver non-emergency care, BWC will notify the injured worker, the hospital, and the provider of record that continued use of the emergency room for non-emergent services will not be reimbursed.

 

4123-6-43 Payment for transcutaneous  electrical  nerve  stimulators  and neuromuscular electrical stimulators.

4123-7-34 Payment for transcutaneous  electrical  nerve  stimulators  and neuromuscular electrical stimulators.

 

These rules are parallel and contain similar text and amendments. The amendments provide that BWC will approve payment for a transcutaneous electric nerve stimulator (TENS) unit for treatment of allowed conditions in a claim as provided in the rule and for each TENS unit request approved, the unit may be rented for a trial period lasting a minimum of one month but no more than four months before purchase of the TENS unit. The rule also authorizes BWC to pay for a neuromuscular electrical stimulator (NMNS) unit for treatment of allowed conditions in a claim.

 

The full and complete text of the proposed rules is available at the Register of Ohio (http://www.registerofohio.state.oh.us) and is on file in the office of the Secretary of State (180 East Broad Street, 15th Floor, Columbus, Ohio), the Legislative Service Commission (77 South High Street, 9th Floor, Columbus, Ohio), the office of the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (77 South High Street, Concourse Level, Columbus, Ohio), the Bureau of Workers' Compensation, Legal Operations (30 West Spring Street, 26th Floor, Columbus, Ohio), the Bureau of Workers' Compensation (30 West Spring Street, Columbus, Ohio, 1st Floor, Hearing Rooms), and all service offices of the Bureau.

 

All interested parties will be given an opportunity to be heard. Any interested party unable to attend the public hearing may submit written comments to the undersigned prior to the public hearing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE OHIO BUREAU OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION

Tom Sico

Director, Legal Operations Bureau of Workers' Compensation 30 West Spring Street, L-26 Columbus, Ohio 43215-2256

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