Hearings Announced for Reimbursement Manual, Outpatient Fees

After waiting in vain for the Florida legislature to enact a workers' compensation fee schedule based on Medicare rates, the Division of Workers' Compensation is proposing an overhaul of the 2012 edition of the Florida Worker's Compensation Reimbursement Manual for Hospitals.The proposed changes to Rule 69L-7.501 were published Friday in the Florida Administrative Weekly. Implementation of the new outpatient hospital fee schedule and other changes in the manual are likely to reduce overall workers' compensation costs by 0.8%, or $12.5 million, said Lori Lovgren, state rela...