HB 141-WORKERS' COMPENSATION MEDICAL FEES  1:53:26 PM CHAIR DUNLEAVY reconvened the meeting and announced the consideration of HB 141. "An Act setting the fee for medical treatment or services performed outside the state under the Alaska Workers' Compensation Act, requiring a provider of medical treatment or services under the Alaska Workers' Compensation Act to submit bills for treatment or services to employers within 180 days after the date the treatment or services are rendered, and limiting the time for appealing an employer's denial or reduction of a bill; and providing for an effective date." This was the second hearing. 1:53:38 PM ANNA LATHAM, Staff, Representative Kurt Olson, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, explained that HB 141 sets a fee schedule for worker's compensation claims that are treated outside the state of Alaska and establishes billing timelines. The statute was amended last in 2011 with House Bill 13, which extended the usual, customary and reasonable fee schedule that Alaska uses for worker's compensation billing. That was reflective of the geographic area where services were rendered and set at the 90th percentile. What that bill failed to do was to set parameters for where Alaska's fee schedule could be used. MS. LATHAM said that Alaska has the highest worker's compensation premium rates in the nation, and the sponsor has found that worker's compensation claimants who are treated outside the state are being billed at Washington, Oregon, or California rates and then they could be billed for the difference between Alaska's higher rate and the rate where they were treated. HB 141 would fix this by clarifying that medical services treated in Alaska would be charged using Alaska's UCR fee schedule, whereas medical services treated in other states could not exceed the charges set by the worker's compensation statutes in the state where the services are rendered. MS. LATHAM responded to a question and affirmed that the fee schedule remains the same in the state of Alaska, but services rendered outside the state would be billed at the rates in the jurisdiction in which the worker's compensation claimant was treated. 1:55:50 PM MICHAEL MONAGLE, Director, Division of Workers' Compensation, Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD), said he had no additional comments on HB 141. 1:56:22 PM WARD HURLBURT, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), offered to answer questions related to HB 141. 1:56:48 PM VINCE O'SHEA, Vice President, Pacific Seafood Processors Association, said he testified during the previous hearing and had no additional comments. CHAIR DUNLEAVY closed public testimony. SENATOR MICCICHE expressed appreciation to the sponsor for introducing the bill. He noted that it was discussed extensively during the previous hearing. 1:57:43 PM SENATOR MICCICHE moved to report HB 141 from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). CHAIR DUNLEAVY announced that without objection HB 141 moved from the Senate Labor & Commerce Standing Committee.