(a) The following words and terms when used in this chapter shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
  (1) Adverse determination: A determination by a utilization review agent made on behalf of a payor that the health care services provided or proposed to be provided to an injured employee are not medically necessary or appropriate. The term does not include a denial of health care services due to the failure to request prospective or concurrent utilization review. An adverse determination does not include a determination that health care services are experimental or investigational.
  (2) Ambulatory surgical services: surgical services provided in a facility that operates primarily to provide surgical services to patients who do not require overnight hospital care.
  (3) Concurrent utilization review: a form of utilization review for on-going health care listed in subsection (q) of this section for an extension of treatment beyond previously approved health care listed in subsection (p) of this section.
  (4) Diagnostic study: any test used to help establish or exclude the presence of disease/injury in symptomatic individuals. The test may help determine the diagnosis, screen for specific disease/injury, guide the management of an established disease/injury, and formulate a prognosis.
  (5) Final adjudication: the commissioner has issued a final decision or order that is no longer subject to appeal by either party.
  (6) Outpatient surgical services: surgical services provided in a freestanding surgical center or a hospital outpatient department to patients who do not require overnight hospital care.
  (7) Preauthorization: a form of prospective utilization review by a payor or a payor's utilization review agent of health care services proposed to be provided to an injured employee.
  (8) Reasonable opportunity: At least one documented good faith attempt to contact the provider of record that provides an opportunity for the provider of record to discuss the services under review with the utilization review agent during normal business hours prior to issuing a prospective, concurrent, or retrospective utilization review adverse determination:
    (A) no less than one working day prior to issuing a prospective utilization review adverse determination;
    (B) no less than five working days prior to issuing a retrospective utilization review adverse determination; or
    (C) prior to issuing a concurrent or post-stabilization review adverse determination.
  (9) Requestor: the health care provider or designated representative, including office staff or a referral health care provider or health care facility that requests preauthorization, concurrent utilization review, or voluntary certification.
  (10) Work conditioning and work hardening: return-to-work rehabilitation programs as defined in this chapter.
(b) When division-adopted treatment guidelines conflict with this section, this section prevails.
(c) The insurance carrier is liable for all reasonable and necessary medical costs relating to the health care:
  (1) listed in subsection (p) or (q) of this section only when the following situations occur:
    (A) an emergency, as defined in Chapter 133 of this title (relating to General Medical Provisions);
    (B) preauthorization of any health care listed in subsection (p) of this section that was approved prior to providing the health care;
    (C) concurrent utilization review of any health care listed in subsection (q) of this section that was approved prior to providing the health care; or
    (D) when ordered by the commissioner;
  (2) or per subsection (r) of this section when voluntary certification was requested and payment agreed upon prior to providing the health care for any health care not listed in subsection (p) of this section.
(d) The insurance carrier is not liable under subsection (c)(1)(B) or (C) of this section if there has been a final adjudication that the injury is not compensable or that the health care was provided for a condition unrelated to the compensable injury.
(e) The insurance carrier shall designate accessible direct telephone and facsimile numbers and may designate an electronic transmission address for use by the requestor or injured employee to request preauthorization or concurrent utilization review during normal business hours. The direct number shall be answered or the facsimile or electronic transmission address responded to within the time limits established in subsection (i) of this section. The insurance carrier shall also comply with any additional requirements of §19.2012 of this title (relating to URA's Telephone Access and Procedures for Certain Drug Requests and Post-Stabilization Care).
(f) The requestor or injured employee shall request and obtain preauthorization from the insurance carrier prior to providing or receiving health care listed in subsection (p) of this section. Concurrent utilization review shall be requested prior to the conclusion of the specific number of treatments or period of time preauthorized and approval must be obtained prior to extending the health care listed in subsection (q) of this section. The request for preauthorization or concurrent utilization review shall be sent to the insurance carrier by telephone, facsimile, or electronic transmission and, include the:
  (1) name of the injured employee;
  (2) specific health care listed in subsection (p) or (q) of this section;
  (3) number of specific health care treatments and the specific period of time requested to complete the treatments;
  (4) information to substantiate the medical necessity of the health care requested;
  (5) accessible telephone and facsimile numbers and may designate an electronic transmission address for use by the insurance carrier;
  (6) name of the requestor and requestor's professional license number or national provider identifier, or injured employee's name if the injured employee is requesting preauthorization;
  (7) name, professional license number or national provider identifier of the health care provider who will render the health care if different than paragraph (6) of this subsection and if known;
  (8) facility name, and the facility's national provider identifier if the proposed health care is to be rendered in a facility; and
  (9) estimated date of proposed health care.
(g) A health care provider may submit a request for health care to treat an injury or diagnosis that is not accepted by the insurance carrier in accordance with Labor Code §408.0042.
  (1) The request shall be in the form of a treatment plan for a 60 day timeframe.
  (2) The insurance carrier shall review requests submitted in accordance with this subsection for both medical necessity and relatedness.
  (3) If denying the request, the insurance carrier shall indicate whether it is issuing an adverse determination, and/or whether the denial is based on an unrelated injury or diagnosis in accordance with subsection (m) of this section.
  (4) The requestor or injured employee may file an extent of injury dispute upon receipt of an insurance carrier's response which includes a denial due to an unrelated injury or diagnosis, regardless of whether an adverse determination was also issued.
  (5) Requests which include a denial due to an unrelated injury or diagnosis may not proceed to medical dispute resolution based on the denial of unrelatedness. However, requests which include the dispute of an adverse determination may proceed to medical dispute resolution for the issue of medical necessity in accordance with subsection (o) of this section.
(h) Except for requests submitted in accordance with subsection (g) of this section, the insurance carrier shall either approve or issue an adverse determination on each request based solely on the medical necessity of the health care required to treat the injury, regardless of:
  (1) unresolved issues of compensability, extent of or relatedness to the compensable injury;
  (2) the insurance carrier's liability for the injury; or
  (3) the fact that the injured employee has reached maximum medical improvement.
(i) The insurance carrier shall contact the requestor or injured employee within the following timeframes by telephone, facsimile, or electronic transmission with the decision to approve the request; issue an adverse determination on a request; or deny a request under subsection (g) of this section because of an unrelated injury or diagnoses as follows:
  (1) three working days of receipt of a request for preauthorization; or
Cont'd...