Lawmakers Seek to Ban Retroactive Application of Treatment Guides

By Michael Whiteley, Eastern Bureau ChiefTwo New York lawmakers have filed legislation to block the State Workers' Compensation Board (SWCB) from making the state's new medical treatment guides retroactive.Assembly Labor Committee Chairman Keith L.T. Wright, D-Manhattan, and Sen. George Mazariaz, R-Wheatfield, filed bills last Friday that would limit application of the guides to injuries or illnesses occurring on or after Dec. 1, 2010 – the day the guides took effect.The bills follow months of debate over the new treatment guidelines and the limits they impose on pain medication,...