UR Bill Sent to Senate Floor

A bill that would require that utilization review physicians are licensed in California and have the same duty of care as a treating provider in some instances was fast-tracked to the Senate floor. Senate Bill 636, by Sen. Dave Cortese, D-Campbell, would impose the new requirements on physicians conducting utilization reviews for private employers. Physicians doing UR for public sector employees could still be licensed in another state and would not owe a duty of care to those workers when deciding whether to authorize care recommended by the treating physician. Cortese said in a statem...