AJCC 2003

October 2003

New Florida Lay Increases Workers' Comp Visits to DCs

On July 15, Governor Bush signed a bill that reforms the state’s workers’ compensation system. Included are increases in the number of chiropractic visits and weeks of treatment allowed for patients. Also included is an amendment that gives DCs the same status as medical doctors, osteopaths and podiatrists in care for injured workers.

Under the new legislation, injured workers can receive a maximum of 24 “medically necessary” chiropractic treatments, which is an increase from the previous maximum of 18. Also, the maximum length of medically necessary chiropractic care has been raised from eight weeks to 12 weeks. Employees, who are “catastrophically injured” on the job, are exempt from the limits on chiropractic care, and insurance carriers may waive the cap on treatments if more care is deemed appropriate.

The bill adds chiropractors to the list of health care providers who may serve as “medical care coordinators” in a workers’ compensation managed care environment. Previously, only medical doctors and osteopaths could serve in such a capacity. This designation allows a DC to be a “primary care provider” within a provider network, which means that patients can have direct access to DC services in the managed care systems used by workers’ compensation carriers. The new designation gives chiropractors the responsibility of managing the care of injured workers, also including the ability to determine whether a patient should be referred to other health care providers for evaluation or treatment.