(a) A doctor who has contracted with or is employed by an authorized workers' compensation health care network established under Insurance Code Chapter 1305, (network doctor) may not perform a required medical examination, as those terms are used under the Texas Workers' Compensation Act (the Act), for an employee receiving medical care through the same network. It is the responsibility of the requesting party to ensure the doctor selected does not have a disqualifying association.     
      (b) The Division may authorize a required medical examination (RME) for any reason set forth in the Act, Texas Labor Code §408.004, §408.0041, or §408.151 at the request of the insurance carrier (carrier). The request shall be made in the form and manner prescribed by the Division. A carrier is not entitled to take action with respect to benefits based on, and the Division shall not consider, a report of an RME doctor that was not approved or obtained in accordance with this section.     
      (c) Carriers are entitled to RMEs by a doctor of their choice in accordance with this subsection as follows:      
        (1) Pursuant to Texas Labor Code §408.004, once every 180 days, to resolve any questions about the appropriateness of the health care received by the injured employee (employee). The carrier's first RME may be requested at any time after the date of injury. A subsequent examination may be requested once every 180 days after the first examination and must be performed by the same doctor unless otherwise approved by the Division. This paragraph only applies to requests for required medical examinations of employees not receiving medical treatment through an authorized workers' compensation health care network.       
        (2) For the purpose of evaluating a designated doctor's determination on the issues listed under Labor Code §408.0041, a carrier is entitled to an examination under this subsection only after a Designated Doctor exam under §126.7 of this title (relating to Designated Doctor Examinations: Requests and General Procedures).       
        (3) For the purpose of evaluating a designated doctor's determination pursuant to Texas Labor Code §408.151, to determine if the employee's medical condition resulting from the compensable injury has improved sufficiently to allow the employee to return to work. For the purposes of this paragraph, the carrier may not require an employee to submit to an RME more than once per year if:                  (A) an employee is receiving supplemental income benefits on or after the second anniversary of the date of the employee's initial entitlement to supplemental income benefits, and                   (B) in the year preceding the request for the RME, the employee's medical condition resulting from the compensable injury had not improved sufficiently to allow the employee to return to work during that year.         
      (d) The doctor selected to perform an RME must be on the Division's approved doctors list and, if the purpose of the examination is to evaluate maximum medical impairment (MMI) and/or permanent impairment following a designated doctor examination, be authorized to assign impairment ratings under §130.1(a) of this title (relating to Certification of Maximum Medical Improvement and Evaluation of Permanent Impairment).     
      (e) Except for an examination under subsection (c)(2) and (3) of this section, the Division shall not require an employee to submit to a medical examination at the carrier's request until the carrier has made an attempt to obtain the agreement of the employee for the examination as required by this subsection. The carrier shall notify the Division in the form and manner prescribed by the Division of any agreement or non-agreement by the employee regarding the requested examination. An examination of an employee by a doctor selected by the carrier shall be requested as follows:      
        (1) Prior to requesting an RME from the Division, the carrier shall send a copy of the request to the employee and the employee's representative (if any) in the manner prescribed by subsection (g) of this section in an attempt to obtain the employee's agreement to the examination.       
        (2) The carrier shall give the employee 15 days to agree to the examination. The 15-day period begins on the date the carrier sends the request to the employee and the employee's representative (if any). Though the employee has 15 days to respond to the request, the carrier is not prohibited from contacting the employee or the employee's representative (if any) by telephone to discuss the request and obtain the employee's or the representative's response.       
        (3) The carrier shall send the request to the Division after either obtaining the employee's answer to the request or when the employee fails to respond after the 15-day period.       
      (f) The carrier shall send a copy of the request for a required medical examination required by subsection (e) of this section to the employee and the employee's representative (if any) by facsimile or electronic transmission if the carrier has been provided with a facsimile number or email address for the recipient, otherwise, the carrier shall send the request by other verifiable means.     
      (g) The carrier shall maintain copies of the request for a required medical examination and shall also maintain verifiable proof of successful transmission of the information. For these purposes, verifiable proof includes, but is not limited to, a facsimile confirmation sheet, certified mail return receipt, delivery confirmation from the postal or delivery service, or a copy of the electronic submission.     
      (h) This section is effective on January 1, 2007 and a request for an RME under this section may be made on or after January 1, 2007.     
     Source Note:        The provisions of this §126.5 adopted to be effective January 30, 1991, 16 TexReg 313; amended to be effective January 1, 1998, 22 TexReg 11693; amended to be effective December 26, 1999, 24 TexReg 11399; amended to be effective January 2, 2002, 26 TexReg 10899; amended to be effective January 1, 2007, 31 TexReg 6351