Washington State has instituted a new rule that allows a workers’ compensation claimant to be billed by their regular doctor or medical provider for missed appointments. WAC 296-20-101(6) states:
Other than missed appointments for examinations arranged by the department or self-insurer, a provider may bill an injured worker for a missed appointment if:
(a) The provider has a missed appointment policy that applies to all patients without regard as to which insurer or entitlement program may be responsible for payment;
and
(b) The provider routinely notifies all patients of the missed appointment policy.
The implementation and enforcement of the policy is a matter between the provider and the injured worker. L&I is not responsible for the implementation and/or enforcement of the provider’s policy.
This allows the medical provider to bill their patient directly for missed appointment charges. The Department of Labor and Industries and/or Self-Insured Claims Administrator continues to be allowed to bill a claimant for any no-show or late-cancellation charges they incur when a claimant misses and appointment arranged by the agency.
Last week we shared a post about dealing with medical bills after an on-the-job injury. Our quick answer was that you most likely do not have to pay these bills, depending on your specific circumstances, which we discussed. So, let’s say that you don’t actually have to pay these bills, but you’ve already paid some of them. Here are a few more questions and answers.
What About Everything I Have Already Paid? Can I Be Reimbursed??
Question: My private insurance has covered the cost of my medical care while my workers’ compensation claim was in dispute. I have been making payments to my doctor’s office, too, for co-pay and other charges. Can I be reimbursed? What about my prescription costs?
Answer: Yes, you can be reimbursed for your expenses!
You can be reimbursed for medical expenses, prescription costs, travel expenses (when appropriate) and other costs once your workers’ compensation claim has been approved. In Washington State, though, the Department of Labor and Industries will only make payment to medical providers directly for services rendered, so you cannot receive direct reimbursement for payments to your doctor, physical therapist, chiropractor, etc… These providers will need to submit bills for services under the allowed claim, receive payment for those services, and then issue refunds to you and your private insurance carrier for payments previously made. This can be a difficult process, though, as the medical providers have already been paid, often at a higher rate than what is allowed under a workers’ compensation claim, so they often would prefer to not go to the hassle of rebilling for services they have already been paid for and then make refunds to you and/or your insurance carrier in excess of the workers’ compensation payments.
Prescription costs are easier to have reimbursed. If you have receipts, you can submit a Statement for Pharmacy Services form to request reimbursement. If you do not have your receipts, you can submit this form with a printout from your pharmacy of all filled prescriptions related to the claim. The printout and the form must be signed by the pharmacist to certify that you have paid for the claimed prescriptions. Reimbursement for pharmacy expenses will be paid to you directly.
Similarly, travel expenses can be claimed under certain circumstances. If the travel was at the request of the Department of Labor and Industries, or if travel greater than 30 miles round-trip was needed to see the closest appropriate medical provider, then you can request reimbursement of mileage at the State’s rate and some extra expenses, such as ferry fares, parking charges or meal expenses. The Travel Reimbursement Request form must be submitted using the appropriate code for the type of expense incurred and receipts must be provided to support the reimbursement request. As with pharmacy reimbursements, travel reimbursements are paid to you directly.
Question: I’m Getting Medical Bills, but I have a Workers’ Compensation Claim – Do I have to Pay Them?
Answer: No! Well, maybe…
If the bill you have received is for a balance due, left over after payment from the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries claim for services rendered by a medical provider, then you do not have to pay the bill. Under RCW Title 51 and WAC Chapter 296-20 and all of its provisions, the medical provider is required to accept payment from the workers’ compensation claim for services rendered as payment in full, and is not allowed to seek from the claimant payment of any additional balance. To be more specific, if a charge is billed to the workers’ compensation claim for a particular service and payment is made by the claim for that service in such a way that a balance remains for that same service, the medical provider is not entitled to payment from the claimant for that difference.
In contrast, if authorization for a medical service is denied under the claim completely, you may, under those circumstances, be required to make payment for any denied services. If you also have private medical insurance, your medical provider may be able to receive payment for treatment services denied under the workers’ compensation claim by submitting a bill for his or her services to the private insurance carrier.
To find out what you should do if you have already paid a medical bill for an on-the-job injury, check in next week for part 2 of this series.
Washington State has instituted a new rule that allows a workers’ compensation claimant to be billed by their regular doctor or medical provider for missed appointments. WAC 296-20-101(6) states:
