Amendments for HB25-1300
House Journal, March 26
5 HB25-1300 be amended as follows, and as so amended, be referred to
6 the Committee of the Whole with favorable
7 recommendation:
8
9 Amend printed bill, page 7, strike lines 13 through 27.
10
11 Page 8, strike lines 1 through 7.
12
13 Renumber succeeding sections accordingly.
14
15 Page 9, line 8, strike "INJURY," and substitute "INJURY FROM AN
16 EMPLOYEE WHO IS A RESIDENT OF COLORADO,".
17
18 Page 9, line 18, after the period insert "THE AUTHORIZED TREATING
19 PHYSICIAN DESIGNATED BY THE EMPLOYEE MUST BE WITHIN SEVENTY
20 MILES OF THE EMPLOYEE'S WORK OR HOME ADDRESS, UNLESS THERE ARE
21 THREE OR FEWER LEVEL I OR LEVEL II ACCREDITED PHYSICIANS WITHIN
22 SEVENTY MILES OF THE EMPLOYEE'S WORK OR HOME ADDRESS WHO ARE
23 WILLING TO TREAT THE INJURED EMPLOYEE. IF THERE ARE THREE OR
24 FEWER LEVEL I OR LEVEL II ACCREDITED PHYSICIANS WITHIN SEVENTY
25 MILES OF THE EMPLOYEE'S WORK OR HOME ADDRESS WHO ARE WILLING TO
26 TREAT THE INJURED EMPLOYEE, THEN THE AUTHORIZED TREATING
27 PHYSICIAN DESIGNATED BY THE EMPLOYEE MUST BE WITHIN ONE HUNDRED
28 MILES OF THE EMPLOYEE'S WORK OR HOME ADDRESS. AN ACCREDITED
29 PHYSICIAN IS PRESUMED WILLING TO TREAT AN INJURED WORKER UNLESS
30 THE PHYSICIAN INDICATES THE CONTRARY TO A PARTY.".
31
32 Page 10, line 6, after the period insert "FOR AN INJURED EMPLOYEE WHO
33 IS NOT A RESIDENT OF COLORADO, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BUT NO LATER
34 THAN TEN BUSINESS DAYS AFTER THE RECEIPT OF A NOTICE OF AN
35 ON-THE-JOB INJURY, AN EMPLOYER OR INSURER SHALL DESIGNATE A
36 TREATING PHYSICIAN AND NOTIFY THE EMPLOYEE OF THE DESIGNATION IN
37 WRITING. THE TREATING PHYSICIAN MUST BE WITHIN ONE HUNDRED MILES
38 OF THE EMPLOYEE'S HOME ADDRESS. IF THE EMPLOYER OR INSURER
39 DECLINES TO DESIGNATE A PHYSICIAN WITHIN THE TEN-BUSINESS-DAY
40 TIME PERIOD, THE EMPLOYEE MAY DESIGNATE A TREATING PHYSICIAN
41 WITHIN ONE HUNDRED MILES OF THE EMPLOYEE'S HOME ADDRESS IN
42 WRITING TO THE EMPLOYER OR THROUGH ATTENDANCE AT AN
43 APPOINTMENT WITH THE EMPLOYEE'S DESIGNATED PHYSICIAN.".
44
45 Page 1, strike lines 103 through 105 and substitute "REQUIRING AN".
46
47 Page 1, line 107, strike "STANDARDS," and substitute "STANDARDS".
48
49
House Journal, April 3
49 Amendment No. 1, Business Affairs & Labor Report, dated March 26,
50 2025, and placed in member’s bill file; Report also printed in House
51 Journal, March 26, 2025.
52
53 Amendment No. 2, by Representative Willford:
54
55 Amend printed bill, page 3, after line 9 insert:
1 "(II) AFTER SUFFERING AN INDUSTRIAL INJURY, A WORKER NEEDS
2 TO BE EDUCATED REGARDING HOW TO FILE A CLAIM AND HOW TO SEEK
3 TREATMENT THROUGH THE WORKERS' COMPENSATION SYSTEM.
4 EMPLOYERS, AS THE FIRST LINE OF COMMUNICATION WITH AN INJURED
5 WORKER, ARE ENCOURAGED OR OBLIGATED TO PROVIDE THAT EDUCATION
6 AND INFORMATION TO EACH WORKER.".
7
8 Renumber succeeding subparagraphs accordingly.
9
10 Amendment No. 3, by Representative Willford:
11
12 Amend printed bill, page 16, after line 19 insert:
13
14 "(VII) AN ATTORNEY REPRESENTING AN INJURED EMPLOYEE SHALL
15 NOT REFER THE INJURED EMPLOYEE TO AN AUTHORIZED TREATING
16 PHYSICIAN OR PHYSICIAN PRACTICE IN WHICH THE ATTORNEY HAS AN
17 OWNERSHIP INTEREST OR OTHER FINANCIAL INTEREST.".
18
19 Upon request of Representative Brooks, the bill was read at length. The
20 request was subsequently withdrawn.
21
22 Amendment No. 4, by Representative Keltie:
23
24 Amend printed bill, page 3, after line 21 insert:
25
26 "(IV) MANY COLORADO EMPLOYERS USE THIRD-PARTY
27 ADMINISTRATORS AND INSURANCE PROVIDERS TO HANDLE THEIR
28 WORKERS' COMPENSATION CLAIMS. THE THIRD-PARTY ADMINISTRATORS
29 ARE OFTEN LOCATED OUTSIDE THE STATE AND ARE A STEP REMOVED FROM
30 AN INJURED WORKER. AS A RESULT OF THE SEPARATION, THIRD-PARTY
31 ADMINISTRATORS DELAY AND DENY CARE WITH MORE FREQUENCY THAN
32 WORKERS' COMPENSATION INSURERS. THE WORKERS' COMPENSATION
33 SYSTEM SHOULD TAKE ACTION TO ENSURE THAT THIRD-PARTY
34 ADMINISTRATORS ARE BEING HELD TO THE SAME STANDARD AS
35 INSURERS.".
36
37 Renumber succeeding subparagraphs accordingly.
38
39 As amended, ordered engrossed and placed on the Calendar for Third
40 Reading and Final Passage.
41
Senate Journal, April 25
After consideration on the merits, the Committee recommends that HB25-1300 be
amended as follows, and as so amended, be referred to the Committee of the Whole with
favorable recommendation.
Amend reengrossed bill, page 9, line 21, strike "ADDRESS." and substitute
"ADDRESS; EXCEPT THAT AN INJURED EMPLOYEE MAY, UPON GOOD CAUSE
SHOWN, DESIGNATE AN AUTHORIZED TREATING PHYSICIAN WHO IS NOT WITHIN
ONE HUNDRED MILES OF THE EMPLOYEE'S WORK OR HOME ADDRESS. GOOD
CAUSE IS PRESUMED TO EXIST IF THERE ARE THREE OR FEWER LEVEL I OR LEVEL
II ACCREDITED PHYSICIANS WITHIN ONE HUNDRED MILES OF THE EMPLOYEE'S
WORK OR HOME ADDRESS WHO ARE WILLING TO TREAT THE INJURED
EMPLOYEE.".
Page 13, line 5, strike "EMPLOYEE'S".
Business,
Labor, &
Technology
Senate Journal, April 29
HB25-1300 by Representative(s) Willford; also Senator(s) Kipp--Concerning claimants' access to
medical care in workers' compensation claims, and, in connection therewith, requiring an
employer or the employer's insurer to use the division of workers' compensation's
utilization standards and changing the mechanism by which a claimant can choose a
treating physician.
Amendment No. 1, Business, Labor & Technology Committee Amendment.
(Printed in Senate Journal, April 25, page(s) 1080 and placed in members' bill files.)
Amendment No. 2(L.021), by Senator Kipp.
Amend reengrossed bill, page 10, line 18, strike "TEN-BUSINESS-DAY" and
substitute "TEN-CALENDAR-DAY".
Strike "BUSINESS" and substitute "CALENDAR" on: Page 9, line 1; Page 10, lines
2 and 13; and Page 11, line 8.
Amendment No. 3(L.019), by Senator Liston.
Amend reengrossed bill, page 6, line 4, strike "(5)" and substitute "(5); and add
(3)(c)".
Page 7, after line 18 insert:
"(c) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL UPDATE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON THE
CHANGES MADE TO THE UTILIZATION STANDARDS FOR PHYSICIAN
AUTHORIZATION REQUESTS AS PART OF THE DEPARTMENT'S PRESENTATION TO
THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES OF REFERENCE AT THE COMMITTEES' HEARINGS
HELD PURSUANT TO THE "STATE MEASUREMENT FOR ACCOUNTABLE,
RESPONSIVE, AND TRANSPARENT (SMART) GOVERNMENT ACT" PURSUANT TO
PART 2 OF ARTICLE 7 OF TITLE 2.".
Amendment No. 4(L.022), by Senator Lundeen.
Amend reengrossed bill, page 3, strike lines 8 through 13 and substitute:
"(II) It is an injured worker's duty to establish a workers' compensation
claim and entitlement to benefits following an industrial injury, and to
successfully do so, an injured worker must research and follow a complicated
set of rules established by our legal system. This duty can be overwhelming,
especially while also dealing with the pain and suffering of a physical injury.
This act is not intended to interfere with a healthy working relationship between
an employer and employee and should not be interpreted to disallow or
discourage an employer from assisting an injured worker that needs help in
navigating a claim.".
Page 3, strike lines 26 and 27.
Page 4, strike lines 1 through 7 and substitute:
"(V) Many Colorado employers use third-party administrators and
insurance providers to handle their workers' compensation claims. The
third-party administrators are often located outside the state and are a step
removed from an injured worker. As a result of the separation, third-party
administrators delay and deny care with more frequency than workers'
compensation insurers. The workers' compensation system should take action
to ensure that third-party administrators are being held to the same standard as
insurers.".
As amended, ordered revised and placed on the calendar for third reading and final
passage.