Connecticut lawmakers have filed a bill that would penalize medical providers if they fail to respond in a timely manner to requests for injured workers.
House Bill 6797, introduced Friday, says medical providers including hospitals and acute care organizations that fail to provide workers’ comp employees with requested records about their cases would be fined $25 per day until the records request is granted.
Respondents would have 30 days from the date of receipt to comply with the record request before the sentence begins.
The monetary penalties would be given to the injured worker.
Under the bill, workers’ comp judges would have the ability to impose an additional $1
00 per day for each day beyond the original 30-day period if the mandatory fine is not paid by the doctor.A compensation judge may also assess attorneys’ fees against noncompliant medical providers if injured workers must obtain legal counsel to help obtain the records.
The measure also states that if medical providers contract with third parties to manage medical records, those third parties would be subject to a penalty of $50 per day if the records are not submitted within the time frame prescribed by law.
The bill also states that by Oct. 1, all agreements between medical providers and third-party registry providers must include provisions recognizing third-party liability in such cases.
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