Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 3090, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to require the Director of Labor and Industrial Relations, with input from interested stakeholders in the workers' compensation system, to establish standardized forms for medical service providers to use when reporting on and billing for injuries compensable under workers' compensation law.

Your Committee on Conference finds that in facilitating the filing of workers' compensation claims, more can be done to provide uniformity, greater clarity, and efficiency in the delivery of medical services to injured employees and payment to the providers. The current lack of uniformity in the filing of paperwork by providers often results in the employer's denial of payment for services without an effective method for the employee to determine the basis for denial. Consequently, denials necessitate the filing of additional paperwork and further delay, or eliminate the receipt of payment for medical services from the employer's insurer. The use of standardized forms will help to clearly identify the necessary information for proper determinations of the need for care and the type of care that satisfies medical reporting requirements. These forms must be developed by DLIR with input from interested stakeholders in the workers' compensation system, including insurers, providers, employers, and employees, in order to better address the needs of all parties involved and be truly helpful in streamlining the workers' compensation system.

Your Committee on Conference understands that the development and use of electronic standardized forms would also prove extremely helpful to streamlining the system; however, the initial development of the necessary forms is a major first step in improving the efficiency of the workers' compensation system. The issue of electronically posting and filing of standardized forms can still be addressed at a later time.

Upon further consideration, your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3090, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3090, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, C.D. 1.