(A) The rules covering operating procedure and criteria for decision-making that the administrator of workers' compensation and the industrial commission are required to adopt pursuant to section 4121.31 of the Revised Code shall be supplemented with operating manuals setting forth the procedural steps in detail for performing each of the assigned tasks of each section of the bureau of workers' compensation and commission. The administrator and commission jointly shall adopt such manuals. No employee may deviate from manual procedures without authorization of the section chief.

(B) Manuals shall set forth the procedure for the assignment and transfer of claims within sections and be designed to provide performance objectives and may require employees to record sufficient data to reasonably measure the efficiency of functions in all sections. The bureau shall perform periodic cost-effectiveness analyses that shall be made available to the general assembly, the governor, and to the public during normal working hours.

(C) The bureau and commission jointly shall develop, adopt, and use a policy manual setting forth the guidelines and bases for decision-making for any decision which is the responsibility of the bureau, district hearing officers, staff hearing officers, or the commission. Guidelines shall be set forth in the policy manual by the bureau and commission to the extent of their respective jurisdictions for deciding at least the following specific matters:

(1) Reasonable ambulance services;

(2) Relationship of drugs to injury;

(3) Awarding lump-sum advances for creditors;

(4) Awarding lump-sum advances for attorney's fees;

(5) Placing a claimant into rehabilitation;

(6) Transferring costs of a claim from employer costs to the statutory surplus fund pursuant to section 4123.343 of the Revised Code;

(7) Utilization of physician specialist reports;

(8) Determining the percentage of permanent partial disability, temporary partial disability, temporary total disability, violations of specific safety requirements, an award under division (B) of section 4123.57 of the Revised Code, and permanent total disability.

(D) The bureau shall establish, adopt, and implement policy guidelines and bases for decisions involving reimbursement issues including, but not limited to, the adjustment of invoices, the reduction of payments for future services when an internal audit concludes that a health care provider was overpaid or improperly paid for past services, reimbursement fees, or other adjustments to payments. These policy guidelines and bases for decisions, and any changes to the guidelines and bases, shall be set forth in a reimbursement manual and provider bulletins.

Neither the policy guidelines nor the bases set forth in the reimbursement manual or provider bulletins referred to in this division is a rule as defined in section 119.01 of the Revised Code.

(E) With respect to any determination of disability under Chapter 4123. of the Revised Code, when the physician makes a determination based upon statements or information furnished by the claimant or upon subjective evidence, the physician shall clearly indicate this fact in the physician's report.

(F) The administrator shall publish the manuals and make copies of all manuals available to interested parties at cost.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.16, HB 123, §101, eff. 7/29/2011.

Effective Date: 1995 HB7 09-01-1995