TEXAS WC COMMITTEE CHOSEN:

Texas Lt. Governor David Dewhurst has formed the Senate Select Committee on Workers’ Compensation to work on solutions to what he called a developing crisis in workers’ comp. Senator Todd Staples was appointed chairman of the committee, and Sen. John Carona (R-Dallas), Sen. Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock), Sen. Craig Estes (R-Wichita Falls), Sen. Juan Hinojosa (D-McAllen), Sen. Kyle Janek (R-Houston), Sen. Frank Madla (D-San Antonio), Sen. Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) and Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) were appointed as committee members. Citing a lack of cost controls in the workers’ compensation system, Dewhurst said Texas needs to look at what other states do to manage their costs while providing quality care for injured workers. Among the committee’s charges are: Examining the status of the Health Care Network Advisory Committee’s (HNAC) and the Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission’s implementation of the regional workers’ compensation healthcare delivery networks outlined in Article 2 of HB 2600 (77th Legislature, 2001); Studying the potential impact of networks on the workers’ compensation health care delivery system; Studying the impact of the Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission’s 2002 Medical Fee Guideline on access to quality medical care for injured workers and medical costs; Surveying the costs and benefits of other health system cost-containment strategies as they relate to medical, therapeutic and pharmaceutical care; Conducting a cost-benefit analysis which compares the Texas workers’ compensation system to systems operating in other states and making recommendations to improve the quality of care for injured workers, reduce fraud and inefficiencies, reduce overall claim costs, and streamline the administration of the system; and Studying the efficiency and effectiveness of the state workers’ compensation system.

Topics Texas Workers' Compensation