§ 28-33-5 - Medical services provided by employer. - Rhode Island Statutes

SECTION 28-33-5

   § 28-33-5  Medical services provided byemployer. – The employer shall, subject to the choice of the employee as provided in §28-33-8, promptly provide for an injured employee any reasonable medical,surgical, dental, optical, or other attendance or treatment, nurse and hospitalservice, medicines, crutches, and apparatus for such period as is necessary, inorder to cure, rehabilitate or relieve the employee from the effects of hisinjury; provided, that no fee for major surgery shall be paid unless permissionfor it in writing is first obtained from the workers' compensation court, theemployer, or the insurance carrier involved, except where compliance with itmay prove fatal or detrimental to the employee. Irrespective of the date ofinjury, the liability of the employer for hospital service rendered under thissection to the injured employee shall be the cost to the hospital of renderingthe service at the time the service is rendered. The director, afterconsultations with representatives of hospitals, employers, and insurancecompanies, shall establish administrative procedures regarding the furnishingand filing of data and the time and method of billing and may accept asrepresenting the costs for both routine and special services to patients, costsas computed for the federal Medicare program. Each hospital licensed underchapter 16 of title 23 which renders services to injured employees under theWorkers' Compensation Act, chapters 29 – 38 of this title, shall submitand certify to the director, in accordance with requirements of theadministrative procedures established by him or her, its costs for thoseservices. The employer shall also provide all medical, optical, dental, andsurgical appliances and apparatus required to cure or relieve the employee fromthe effects of the injury, including but not being limited to the following:ambulance and nursing service, eyeglasses, dentures, braces and supports,artificial limbs, crutches, and other similar appliances; provided, that theemployer shall not be liable to pay for or provide hearing aids or otheramplification devices.