Hearing on TWCC 2002 Medical Fee Guideline Postponed

The Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission announced that on Jan. 6, Travis County Judge John Dietz delayed the hearing on the 2002 Medical Fee Guideline (MFG) until further notice. In August 2002 Judge Dietz issued a temporary injunction in a lawsuit against the 2002 MFG and continued the 1996 MFG in effect. The Texas AFL-CIO and Texas Medical Association requested the injunction.

TWCC commissioners reconsidered the 2002 Medical Fee Guideline (MFG) at the Dec. 12 public meeting. The commissioners held two separate votes; one to adopt a supplemental preamble to the Medical Fee Guideline and the second to readopt the 2002 Medical Fee Guideline for healthcare services provided under the Texas workers’ compensation system.

The new MFG, which has not been put into effect due to the injunction, provides that maximum allowable reimbursement shall be determined by applying the Medicare payment policies with minimal modifications. Most services will be reimbursed using the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) conversion factor multiplied by 125 percent.