1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to workers' compensation; adopting recommendations of the Workers' 
1.3 	Compensation Advisory Council; modifying workers' compensation provisions; 
1.4 	modifying hospital outpatient fee schedules; modifying billing, payment, and 
1.5 	dispute resolution; defining ambulatory surgical center payments; modifying 
1.6 	covered benefits;amending Minnesota Statutes 2016, sections 175A.05; 176.011, 
1.7 	subdivision 15; 176.101, subdivisions 2, 2a, 4; 176.102, subdivision 11; 176.136, 
1.8 	subdivision 1b; 176.231, subdivision 9; 176.83, subdivision 5; Minnesota Statutes 
1.9 	2017 Supplement, section 15A.083, subdivision 7; Laws 2017, chapter 94, article 
1.10 	1, section 6; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 176.
1.11 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.12 	ARTICLE 1
1.13 	WORKERS' COMPENSATION GENERAL

1.14 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2017 Supplement, section 15A.083, subdivision 7, is 
1.15 	amended to read:
1.16 		Subd. 7.Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals and compensation judges.
 1.17 	Salaries of judges of the Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals are 98.52 105 percent 
1.18 	of the salary for district court workers' compensation judges of the Office of Administrative 
1.19 	Hearings. The salary of the chief judge of the Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals is 
1.20 	98.52 107 percent of the salary for a chief district court judge workers' compensation judges 
1.21 	of the Office of Administrative Hearings. Salaries of compensation judges are 98.52 percent 
1.22 	of the salary of district court judges.

1.23 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective June 1, 2018.

2.1 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 175A.05, is amended to read:
2.2 	175A.05 QUORUM.
2.3 		Subdivision 1.Judges' quorum. A majority of the judges of the Workers' Compensation 
2.4 	Court of Appeals shall constitute a quorum for the exercise of the powers conferred and the 
2.5 	duties imposed on the Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals except that all appeals 
2.6 	shall be heard by no more than a panel of three of the five judges unless the case appealed 
2.7 	is determined to be of exceptional importance by the chief judge prior to assignment of the 
2.8 	case to a panel, or by a three-fifths vote of the judges prior to assignment of the case to a 
2.9 	panel or after the case has been considered by the panel but prior to the service and filing 
2.10 	of the decision.
2.11 		Subd. 2.Vacancy. A vacancy shall not impair the ability of the remaining judges of the 
2.12 	Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals to exercise all the powers and perform all of the 
2.13 	duties of the Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals.
2.14 		Subd. 3.Retired judges. Where the number of Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals 
2.15 	judges available to hear a case is insufficient to constitute a quorum, the chief judge of the 
2.16 	Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals may, with the retired judge's consent, assign a 
2.17 	judge who is retired from the Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals or the Office of 
2.18 	Administrative Hearings to hear any case properly assigned to a judge of the Workers' 
2.19 	Compensation Court of Appeals. The retired judge assigned to the case may act on it with 
2.20 	the full powers of the judge of the Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals. A retired 
2.21 	judge performing this service shall receive pay and expenses in the amount and manner 
2.22 	provided by law for judges serving on the court, less the amount of retirement pay the judge 
2.23 	is receiving under chapter 352 or 490.

2.24 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective June 1, 2018.

2.25 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 176.231, subdivision 9, is amended to read:
2.26 		Subd. 9.Uses which that may be made of reports. (a) Reports filed with the 
2.27 	commissioner under this section may be used in hearings held under this chapter, and for 
2.28 	the purpose of state investigations and for statistics. These reports are available to the 
2.29 	Department of Revenue for use in enforcing Minnesota income tax and property tax refund 
2.30 	laws, and the information shall be protected as provided in chapter 270B.
2.31 	(b) The division or Office of Administrative Hearings or Workers' Compensation Court 
2.32 	of Appeals may permit the examination of its file by the employer, insurer, employee, or 
2.33 	dependent of a deceased employee or any person who furnishes written signed authorization 
3.1 	to do so from the employer, insurer, employee, or dependent of a deceased employee. 
3.2 	Reports filed under this section and other information the commissioner has regarding 
3.3 	injuries or deaths shall be made available to the Workers' Compensation Reinsurance 
3.4 	Association for use by the association in carrying out its responsibilities under chapter 79.
3.5 	(c) The division may provide the worker identification number assigned under section 
3.6 	176.275, subdivision 1, without a signed authorization required under paragraph (b) to an:
3.7 	(1) attorney who represents one of the persons described in paragraph (b);
3.8 	(2) attorney who represents an intervenor or potential intervenor under section 176.361;
3.9 	(3) intervenor; or
3.10 	(4) employee's assigned qualified rehabilitation consultant under section 176.102.

3.11 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective June 1, 2018.

3.12 	Sec. 4. [176.2611] COORDINATION OF THE OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE 
3.13 	HEARINGS' CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND THE WORKERS' 
3.14 	COMPENSATION IMAGING SYSTEM.
3.15 		Subdivision 1.Definitions. (a) For purposes of this section, the definitions in this 
3.16 	subdivision apply unless otherwise specified.
3.17 	(b) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of labor and industry.
3.18 	(c) "Department" means the Department of Labor and Industry.
3.19 	(d) "Document" includes all data, whether in electronic or paper format, that is filed 
3.20 	with or issued by the office or department related to a claim-specific dispute resolution 
3.21 	proceeding under this section.
3.22 	(e) "Office" means the Office of Administrative Hearings.
3.23 		Subd. 2.Applicability. This section governs filing requirements pending completion 
3.24 	of the workers' compensation modernization program and access to documents and data in 
3.25 	the office's case management system, the workers' compensation Informix imaging system, 
3.26 	and the system that will be developed as a result of the workers' compensation modernization 
3.27 	program. This section prevails over any conflicting provision in this chapter, Laws 1998, 
3.28 	chapter 366, or corresponding rules.
3.29 		Subd. 3.Documents that must be filed with the office. Except as provided in 
3.30 	subdivision 4 and section 176.421, all documents that require action by the office under 
3.31 	this chapter must be filed, electronically or in paper format, with the office as required by 
4.1 	the chief administrative law judge. Filing a document that initiates or is filed in preparation 
4.2 	for a proceeding at the office satisfies any requirement under this chapter that the document 
4.3 	must be filed with the commissioner.
4.4 		Subd. 4.Documents that must be filed with the commissioner. (a) The following 
4.5 	documents must be filed directly with the commissioner in the format and manner prescribed 
4.6 	by the commissioner:
4.7 	(1) all requests for an administrative conference under section 176.106, regardless of 
4.8 	the amount in dispute;
4.9 	(2) a motion to intervene in an administrative conference that is pending at the department;
4.10 	(3) any other document related to an administrative conference that is pending at the 
4.11 	department;
4.12 	(4) an objection to a penalty assessed by the commissioner or the department;
4.13 	(5) requests for medical and rehabilitation dispute certification under section 176.081, 
4.14 	subdivision 1, paragraph (c), including related documents; and
4.15 	(6) except as provided in this subdivision or subdivision 3, any other document required 
4.16 	to be filed with the commissioner.
4.17 	(b) The filing requirement in paragraph (a), clause (1), makes no changes to the 
4.18 	jurisdictional provisions in section 176.106. A claim petition that contains only medical or 
4.19 	rehabilitation issues, unless primary liability is disputed, is considered to be a request for 
4.20 	an administrative conference and must be filed with the commissioner.
4.21 	(c) The commissioner must refer a timely, unresolved objection to a penalty under 
4.22 	paragraph (a), clause (4), to the office within 60 calendar days.
4.23 		Subd. 5.Form revision and access to documents and data. (a) The commissioner 
4.24 	must revise dispute resolution forms, in consultation with the chief administrative law judge, 
4.25 	to reflect the filing requirements in this section.
4.26 	(b) For purposes of this subdivision, "complete, read-only electronic access" means the 
4.27 	ability to view all data and document contents, including scheduling information, related 
4.28 	to workers' compensation disputes, except for the following:
4.29 	(1) a confidential mediation statement, including any documents submitted with the 
4.30 	statement for the mediator's review;
5.1 	(2) work product of a compensation judge, mediator, or commissioner that is not issued. 
5.2 	Examples of work product include personal notes of hearings or conferences and draft 
5.3 	decisions;
5.4 	(3) the department's Vocational Rehabilitation Unit's case management system data;
5.5 	(4) the special compensation fund's case management system data; and
5.6 	(5) audit trail information.
5.7 	(c) The office must be provided with continued, complete, read-only electronic access 
5.8 	to the workers' compensation Informix imaging system.
5.9 	(d) The department must be provided with read-only electronic access to the office's 
5.10 	case management system, including the ability to view all data, including scheduling 
5.11 	information, but excluding access into filed documents.
5.12 	(e) The office must send the department all documents that are accepted for filing or 
5.13 	issued by the office. The office must send the documents to the department, electronically 
5.14 	or by courier, within two business days of when the documents are accepted for filing or 
5.15 	issued by the office.
5.16 	(f) The department must place documents that the office sends to the department in the 
5.17 	appropriate imaged file for the employee.
5.18 	(g) The department must send the office copies of the following documents, electronically 
5.19 	or by courier, within two business days of when the documents are filed with or issued by 
5.20 	the department:
5.21 	(1) notices of discontinuance;
5.22 	(2) decisions issued by the department; and
5.23 	(3) mediated agreements.
5.24 	(h) Upon integration of the office's case management system and the department's system 
5.25 	resulting from the workers' compensation modernization program, each agency will be 
5.26 	provided with complete, read-only electronic access to the other agency's system.
5.27 	(i) Each agency's responsible authority pursuant to section 13.02, subdivision 16, is 
5.28 	responsible for its own employees' use and dissemination of the data and documents in the 
5.29 	workers' compensation Informix imaging system, the office's case management system, and 
5.30 	the system developed as a result of the workers' compensation modernization program.
6.1 		Subd. 6.Data privacy. (a) All documents filed with or issued by the department or the 
6.2 	office under this chapter are private data on individuals and nonpublic data pursuant to 
6.3 	chapter 13, except that the documents are available to the following:
6.4 	(1) the office;
6.5 	(2) the department;
6.6 	(3) the employer;
6.7 	(4) the insurer;
6.8 	(5) the employee;
6.9 	(6) the dependent of a deceased employee;
6.10 	(7) an intervenor in the dispute;
6.11 	(8) the attorney to a party in the dispute;
6.12 	(9) a person who furnishes written authorization from the employer, insurer, employee, 
6.13 	or dependent of a deceased employee; and
6.14 	(10) a person, agency, or other entity allowed access to the documents under this chapter 
6.15 	or other law.
6.16 	(b) The office and department may post notice of scheduled proceedings on the agencies' 
6.17 	Web sites and at their principal places of business in any manner that protects the employee's 
6.18 	identifying information.
6.19 		Subd. 7.Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals. The Workers' Compensation 
6.20 	Court of Appeals has authority to amend its rules of procedure to reflect electronic filing 
6.21 	with the office under this section for purposes of section 176.421, subdivision 5, and to 
6.22 	allow electronic filing with the court under section 176.285. The court may amend its rules 
6.23 	using the procedure in section 14.389.

6.24 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective June 1, 2018.

6.25 	Sec. 5. Laws 2017, chapter 94, article 1, section 6, is amended to read:

6.26
6.27	Sec. 6. WORKERS' COMPENSATION COURT 
OF APPEALS
 	$
	1,913,000
	$
	1,913,000
1,946,000
	
6.28 	This appropriation is from the workers' 
6.29 	compensation fund.

7.1 	ARTICLE 2
7.2 	HOSPITAL OUTPATIENT FEE SCHEDULE

7.3 	Section 1. [176.1364] WORKERS' COMPENSATION HOSPITAL OUTPATIENT 
7.4 	FEE SCHEDULE.
7.5 		Subdivision 1.Definitions. (a) For the purposes of this section, the terms defined in this 
7.6 	subdivision have the meanings given them.
7.7 	(b) "Addendum A" means the addendum entitled "OPPS APCs for CY 2018," or its 
7.8 	successor, developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (Medicare) for 
7.9 	use in the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) system under 
7.10 	Code of Federal Regulations, title 42, part 419, as may be amended from time to time.
7.11 	(c) "Addendum B" means the addendum entitled "OPPS Payment by HCPCS Codes for 
7.12 	CY 2018," or its successor, developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 
7.13 	(Medicare) for use in the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) 
7.14 	system under Code of Federal Regulations, title 42, part 419, as may be amended from time 
7.15 	to time.
7.16 	(d) "HCPCS code" means a numeric or alphanumeric code included in the Centers for 
7.17 	Medicare and Medicaid Services' Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System. A HCPCS 
7.18 	code is used to identify a specific medical service.
7.19 	(e) "Hospital" means a facility that is licensed by the Department of Health under section 
7.20 	144.50.
7.21 	(f) "HOFS" means the workers' compensation hospital outpatient fee schedule established 
7.22 	under subdivision 3.
7.23 	(g) "Insurer" includes workers' compensation insurers and self-insured employers.
7.24 	(h) "Services" includes articles, supplies, procedures, and implantable devices provided 
7.25 	by the hospital with the service. Services are identified by a code described in subdivision 
7.26 	3.
7.27 		Subd. 2.Applicability. (a) This section only applies to payment of charges for hospital 
7.28 	outpatient services if the charges include a service listed in the workers' compensation 
7.29 	hospital outpatient fee schedule established by the commissioner under subdivision 3. If 
7.30 	the charges do not include a service listed in the HOFS, payment shall be:
8.1 	(1) the liability for each service that is included in the workers' compensation relative 
8.2 	value fee schedule as provided in section 176.136, subdivision 1a, and corresponding rules 
8.3 	adopted by the commissioner to implement the relative value fee schedule; or
8.4 	(2) the liability as provided in section 176.136, subdivision 1b, paragraphs (b) and (c), 
8.5 	for each service that is not included in the workers' compensation relative value fee schedule.
8.6 	(b) This section does not apply to outpatient services provided at a hospital that is certified 
8.7 	by Medicare as a critical access hospital. Outpatient services provided by these hospitals 
8.8 	shall be paid as provided in section 176.136, subdivision 1b, paragraph (a).
8.9 		Subd. 3.Hospital outpatient fee schedule (HOFS). (a) Effective for hospital outpatient 
8.10 	services on or after October 1, 2018, the commissioner shall establish a workers' 
8.11 	compensation hospital outpatient fee schedule (HOFS) to establish the payment for hospital 
8.12 	bills with charges for services with a J1 or J2 status indicator as listed in the status indicator 
8.13 	(SI) column of Addendum B and the comprehensive observation services Ambulatory 
8.14 	Payment Classification (APC) 8011 with a J2 status indicator in Addendum A. The 
8.15 	commissioner shall publish a link to the HOFS in the State Register before October 1, 2018, 
8.16 	and shall maintain the current HOFS on the department's Web site.
8.17 	(b) The amount listed for each of the procedures in the HOFS as described in paragraph 
8.18 	(a) shall be the relative weight for the procedure multiplied by a HOFS conversion factor 
8.19 	that results in the same overall payment for hospital outpatient services under this section 
8.20 	as the actual payments made in the most recent 12-month period available before the effective 
8.21 	date of this section. The commissioner must establish separate conversion factors to achieve 
8.22 	the same overall payment for noncritical access hospitals of 100 or fewer licensed beds and 
8.23 	hospitals with more than 100 licensed beds. The commissioner shall establish the two 
8.24 	conversion factors according to the requirements in clauses (1) to (4) in consultation with 
8.25 	insurer and hospital representatives.
8.26 	(1) The commissioner shall obtain a suitable sample of de-identified data for Minnesota 
8.27 	workers' compensation outpatient cases at Minnesota hospitals for the most recently available 
8.28 	12-month period. The commissioner may obtain de-identified data from any reliable source, 
8.29 	including Minnesota hospitals and insurers, or their representatives. Any data provided to 
8.30 	the commissioner by a hospital, insurer, or their representative under this subdivision is 
8.31 	nonpublic data under section 13.02, subdivision 9.
8.32 	(2) The sample must be divided into a data set for hospitals over 100 licensed beds, and 
8.33 	100 or fewer licensed beds, excluding critical access hospitals.
8.34 	(3) For each data set the commissioner shall:
9.1 	(i) calculate the total amount of the actual payments made in the most recent 12-month 
9.2 	period available before the effective date of this section, adjusted for inflation to July 2018; 
9.3 	and
9.4 	(ii) apply all of the payment provisions in this section to each claim including, as 
9.5 	applicable, payment under the relative value fee schedule or 85 percent of the hospital's 
9.6 	usual and customary charge under section 176.136, subdivisions 1a and 1b, to determine 
9.7 	the total payment amount using the Medicare conversion factor in effect for the OPPS in 
9.8 	effect on July 1, 2018.
9.9 	(4) The commissioner shall calculate the Minnesota conversion factor to equal the 
9.10 	Medicare conversion factor multiplied by the ratio of total payments under clause (3), item 
9.11 	(i), divided by the total payments under clause (3), item (ii).
9.12 	(c) For purposes of this section:
9.13 	(1) the relative weight is the amount in the "relative weight" column in Addendum B 
9.14 	and Addendum A for comprehensive observation services.
9.15 	(2) references to J1, J2, and H status indicators; Addenda A and B; APC 8011; and 
9.16 	HCPCS code G0378 includes any successor status indicators, addenda, APC, or HCPCS 
9.17 	code established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
9.18 	(d) On October 1 of each year, the commissioner shall adjust the HOFS conversion 
9.19 	factors based on the market basket index for inpatient hospital services calculated by 
9.20 	Medicare and published on its Web site. The adjustment on each October 1 shall be a 
9.21 	percentage equal to the value of that index averaged over the four quarters of the most recent 
9.22 	calendar year divided by the value of that index over the four quarters of the prior calendar 
9.23 	year.
9.24 	(e) No later than October 1, 2021, and at least once every three years thereafter, the 
9.25 	commissioner shall update the HOFS established under this subdivision by incorporating 
9.26 	services with a J1 or J2 status indicator, and the corresponding relative weights, listed in 
9.27 	the Addenda A and B most recently available on Medicare's Web site as of the preceding 
9.28 	July 1. If Addenda A and B are not available on Medicare's Web site on the preceding July 
9.29 	1, the HOFS most recently published on the department's Web site remains in effect.
9.30 	(1) Each time the HOFS is updated under this paragraph, the commissioner shall adjust 
9.31 	the conversion factors so that there is no difference between the overall payment under the 
9.32 	new HOFS and the overall payment under the HOFS most recently in effect, for services 
9.33 	in both HOFSs.
10.1 	(2) The conversion factor adjustments under this paragraph shall be made separately for 
10.2 	each hospital category in paragraph (b).
10.3 	(3) The conversion factor adjustments under this paragraph must be made before making 
10.4 	any additional adjustment under paragraph (d).
10.5 	(f) The commissioner shall give notice in the State Register of the adjusted conversion 
10.6 	factor in paragraph (d) no later than October 1 annually. The commissioner shall give notice 
10.7 	in the State Register of an updated HOFS under paragraph (e) no later than October 1 of 
10.8 	the year in which the HOFS becomes effective. The notice must include a link to the HOFS 
10.9 	published on the department's Web site. The notices, the updated fee schedules, and the 
10.10 	adjusted conversion factors are not rules subject to chapter 14, but have the force and effect 
10.11 	of law as of the effective date published in the State Register.
10.12 		Subd. 4.Payment under the hospital outpatient fee schedule. (a) Services in the 
10.13 	HOFS, and other hospital outpatient services provided with or as part of service in the 
10.14 	HOFS, are paid according to paragraphs (b) and (c).
10.15 	(b) If a hospital bill includes a charge for one or more services with a J1 status indicator, 
10.16 	payment shall be as provided in this paragraph.
10.17 	(1) If the bill includes a charge for only one service with only a J1 status indicator, 
10.18 	payment shall be the amount listed in the HOFS for that service, regardless of the amount 
10.19 	charged by the hospital.
10.20 	(2) If the bill includes charges for more than one service with a J1 status indicator, the 
10.21 	service with the highest listed fee in the HOFS shall be paid at 100 percent of the listed fee. 
10.22 	Each additional service listed in the hospital outpatient fee shall be paid at 50 percent of 
10.23 	the listed fee. Payment under this clause shall be based on the applicable percentage of the 
10.24 	listed fee, regardless of the amount charged by the hospital.
10.25 	(3) If the bill includes an additional charge for a service that does not have a J1 status 
10.26 	indicator listed in the HOFS, no separate payment is made for the additional service. Payment 
10.27 	for the additional service, including any service with a J2 status indicator, is packaged into 
10.28 	and is not paid separately from the payment amount listed in the HOFS for the service with 
10.29 	the J1 status indicator. Implantable devices are paid separately only as provided in subdivision 
10.30 	5.
10.31 	(4) The insurer must not deny payment for any additional service packaged into payment 
10.32 	for a service listed in the HOFS on the basis that the additional service was not reasonably 
10.33 	required or causally related to an admitted work injury.
11.1 	(c) If a hospital bill includes one or more charges for services with a J2 status indicator, 
11.2 	and does not include any charges for services with a J1 status indicator, payment shall be 
11.3 	as provided in this paragraph.
11.4 	(1) Except for services packaged into an observation service as provided in clause (4), 
11.5 	payment for each service with a J2 status indicator shall be the amount listed in the HOFS, 
11.6 	regardless of the amount charged by the hospital.
11.7 	(2) If a service without a HCPCS code is billed with a service with a J2 status indicator, 
11.8 	payment is packaged into the payment for the J2 service.
11.9 	(3) Payment for drugs with a HCPCS code is separate from payment for the service with 
11.10 	the J2 code as provided in this clause.
11.11 	(i) If the drug is delivered by injection or infusion, payment for the drug is packaged 
11.12 	into payment for the injection or infusion service.
11.13 	(ii) If the drug is not delivered by injection or infusion, payment for the drug is paid at 
11.14 	the Medicare Average Sales Price (ASP) of the drug on the day the drug is dispensed. No 
11.15 	later than October 1, 2018, and October 1 of each subsequent year, the commissioner must 
11.16 	publish on the department's Web site a link to the ASP most recently available as of the 
11.17 	preceding July 1. If no ASP is available, the most recently posted ASP linked on the 
11.18 	department's Web site remains in effect.
11.19 	(4) If a bill includes eight or more units of service with the HCPCS code G0378 
11.20 	(observation services, per hour), and there is a physician's or dentist's order for observation, 
11.21 	payment shall be the amount listed in the HOFS for the comprehensive observation services 
11.22 	Ambulatory Payment Classification 8011, regardless of the amount charged by the hospital. 
11.23 	All other services billed by the hospital, including other services with a J2 status indicator, 
11.24 	are packaged into the payment amount and are not paid separately from the payment amount 
11.25 	listed in the fee schedule for HCPCS code G0378.
11.26 	(5) For any other service on the same bill as the service with a J2 status indicator, payment 
11.27 	shall be as provided in subdivision 2, paragraph (a).
11.28 		Subd. 5.Implantable devices. The maximum fee for any service in the HOFS includes 
11.29 	payment for all implantable devices, even if the Medicare OPPS would otherwise allow 
11.30 	separate payment for the implantable device. However, separate payment in the amount of 
11.31 	85 percent of the hospital's usual and customary charge for an implantable device is allowed 
11.32 	if the implantable device:
11.33 	(1) has an H status indicator in Addendum B;
12.1 	(2) is properly charged on a bill with a service with a J1 status indicator in the HOFS; 
12.2 	and
12.3 	(3) is properly billed with another HCPCS code, if required by Medicare's OPPS system.
12.4 	The commissioner shall update the HOFS each October 1 to include any HCPCS codes that 
12.5 	are payable under this section according to the Addendum B most recently available on the 
12.6 	preceding July 1.
12.7 		Subd. 6.Study. (a) The commissioner shall conduct a study analyzing the percentage 
12.8 	of claims with a service in the HOFS that were paid timely and the percentage of claims 
12.9 	paid accurately. The commissioner must report the results of the study and recommendations 
12.10 	to the Workers' Compensation Advisory Council and chairs and ranking minority members 
12.11 	of the house of representatives and senate committees with jurisdiction over workers' 
12.12 	compensation by January 15, 2021.
12.13 	(b) Based on the results of the study, the WCAC shall consider whether there is a 
12.14 	minimum 80 percent compliance in timeliness and accuracy of payments, and additional 
12.15 	statutory amendments, including but not limited to:
12.16 	(1) a maximum ten percent reduction in payments under the HOFS; and
12.17 	(2) an increase in indemnity benefits to injured workers.
12.18 		Subd. 7.Rulemaking. The commissioner may adopt or amend rules, using the authority 
12.19 	in section 14.386, paragraph (a), to implement this section. The rules are not subject to 
12.20 	expiration under section 14.386, paragraph (b).

12.21 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective for hospital outpatient services provided 
12.22 	on or after October 1, 2018.

12.23 	ARTICLE 3
12.24 	OUTPATIENT BILLING, PAYMENT, AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION

12.25 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 176.136, subdivision 1b, is amended to read:
12.26 		Subd. 1b.Limitation of liability. (a) The liability of the employer for treatment, articles, 
12.27 	and supplies provided to an employee while an inpatient or outpatient at a Critical Access 
12.28 	Hospital certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or while an outpatient 
12.29 	at a hospital with 100 or fewer licensed beds, shall be the hospital's usual and customary 
12.30 	charge, unless the charge is determined by the commissioner or a compensation judge to 
12.31 	be unreasonably excessive.
13.1 	(b) The liability of the employer for the treatment, articles, and supplies that are not 
13.2 	limited by paragraph (a), subdivision 1a, or 1c, or section 176.1362, 176.1363, or 176.1364,
13.3 	shall be limited to 85 percent of the provider's usual and customary charge, or 85 percent 
13.4 	of the prevailing charges for similar treatment, articles, and supplies furnished to an injured 
13.5 	person when paid for by the injured person, whichever is lower, except as provided in 
13.6 	paragraph (e). On this basis, the commissioner or compensation judge may determine the 
13.7 	reasonable value of all treatment, services, and supplies, and the liability of the employer 
13.8 	is limited to that amount. The commissioner may by rule establish the reasonable value of 
13.9 	a service, article, or supply in lieu of the 85 percent limitation in this paragraph. A prevailing 
13.10 	charge established under Minnesota Rules, part 5221.0500, subpart 2, must be based on no 
13.11 	more than two years of billing data immediately preceding the date of the service.
13.12 	(c) The limitation of liability for charges provided by paragraph (b) does not apply to a 
13.13 	nursing home that participates in the medical assistance program and whose rates are 
13.14 	established by the commissioner of human services.
13.15 	(d) An employer's liability for treatment, articles, and supplies provided under this chapter 
13.16 	by a health care provider located outside of Minnesota is limited to the payment that the 
13.17 	health care provider would receive if the treatment, article, or supply were paid under the 
13.18 	workers' compensation law of the jurisdiction in which the treatment was provided.
13.19 	(e) The limitation of the employer's liability based on 85 percent of prevailing charge 
13.20 	does not apply to charges by an ambulatory surgical center as defined in section 176.1363, 
13.21 	subdivision 1, paragraph (b), or a hospital as defined in section 176.1364, subdivision 1, 
13.22 	paragraph (e).
13.23 	(f) For purposes of this chapter, "inpatient" means a patient that has been admitted to a 
13.24 	hospital by an order from a physician or dentist. If there is no inpatient admission order, 
13.25 	the patient is deemed an outpatient. The hospital must provide documentation of an inpatient 
13.26 	order upon the request of the employer.

13.27 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective for treatment, articles, and supplies 
13.28 	provided on or after October 1, 2018.

13.29 	Sec. 2. [176.1365] OUTPATIENT BILLING, PAYMENT, AND DISPUTE 
13.30 	RESOLUTION.
13.31 		Subdivision 1.Scope. This section applies to billing, payment, and dispute resolution 
13.32 	for services provided by an ambulatory surgical center (ASC) under section 176.1363 and 
14.1 	hospital outpatient services under section 176.1364. For purposes of this section, "insurer" 
14.2 	includes self-insured employer and "services" is as defined in section 176.1364.
14.3 		Subd. 2.Outpatient billing, coding, and prior notification. (a) Ambulatory surgical 
14.4 	centers and hospitals must bill workers' compensation insurers for services governed by 
14.5 	sections 176.1363 and 176.1364 using the same codes, formats, and details that are required 
14.6 	for billing the Medicare program, including coding consistent with the American Medical 
14.7 	Association Current Procedural Terminology coding system and Medicare's Ambulatory 
14.8 	Surgical Center Payment System, Outpatient Prospective Payment System, Outpatient Code 
14.9 	Editor, Healthcare Current Procedural Terminology Coding System, and the National Correct 
14.10 	Coding Initiative Policy Manual for Medicare Services and associated Web page and tables.
14.11 	(b) All charges for ASC or hospital outpatient fee schedule services governed by sections 
14.12 	176.1363 and 176.1364 must be submitted to the insurer on the appropriate electronic 
14.13 	transaction required by section 176.135, subdivisions 7 and 7a. ASCs must submit charges 
14.14 	on the electronic 837P form. ASCs must not separately bill for the services and items 
14.15 	included in the ASC facility fee under Code of Federal Regulations, title 42, section 
14.16 	416.164(a). Minnesota Rules, part 5221.4033, subpart 1a, does not apply to ASCs under 
14.17 	this section, but does apply to hospital outpatient facility fees to the extent they are not 
14.18 	covered by the hospital outpatient fee schedule under section 176.1364.
14.19 	(c) Hospitals, ASCs, and insurers must comply with the prior notification and approval 
14.20 	or authorization requirements specified in Minnesota Rules, part 5221.6050, subpart 9. Prior 
14.21 	notification may be provided by either the hospital, ASC, or the surgeon. For purposes of 
14.22 	prior notification under Minnesota Rules, part 5221.6050, subpart 9, "inpatient" has the 
14.23 	meaning as provided under section 176.136, subdivision 1b, paragraph (d).
14.24 	(d) ASC or hospital bills must be submitted to insurers as required by section 176.135, 
14.25 	subdivisions 7 and 7a, and within the time period required by section 62Q.75, subdivision 
14.26 	3. Insurers must respond to the initial bill as provided in section 176.135, subdivisions 6 
14.27 	and 7a. Copies of any records or reports relating to the items for which payment is sought 
14.28 	are separately payable as provided in section 176.135, subdivision 7, paragraph (a).
14.29 		Subd. 3.ASC or hospital request for reconsideration; insurer response; time frames.
 14.30 	(a) Following receipt of the insurer's explanation of review (EOR) or explanation of benefits 
14.31 	(EOB), the ASC or hospital may request reconsideration of a payment denial or reduction. 
14.32 	The ASC or hospital must submit its request for reconsideration in writing to the insurer 
14.33 	within one year of the date of the EOR or EOB.
15.1 	(b) The insurer must issue a written response to the ASC or hospital's request for 
15.2 	reconsideration within 30 days, as provided in section 176.135, subdivision 6. The written 
15.3 	response must address the issues raised by the request for reconsideration and not simply 
15.4 	reiterate the information on the EOR or EOB.
15.5 		Subd. 4.Insurer request for reimbursement of overpayment; time frame. If the 
15.6 	payer determines it has overpaid an ASC or hospital's charges based on workers' 
15.7 	compensation statutes and rules, the payer must submit its request for reimbursement in 
15.8 	writing to the ASC or hospital within one year of the date of the payment.
15.9 		Subd. 5.Medical requests for administrative conference; time frame to file. (a) An 
15.10 	ASC, hospital, or insurer must notify the provider or payer, as applicable, of its intent to 
15.11 	file a medical request for an administrative conference under section 176.106 at least 20 
15.12 	days before filing one with the department. The insurer, or the ASC or hospital if permitted 
15.13 	by section 176.136, subdivision 2, must file the medical request for an administrative 
15.14 	conference no later than the latest of:
15.15 	(1) one year after the date of the initial EOR or EOB if the ASC or hospital does not 
15.16 	request a reconsideration of a payment denial or reduction under subdivision 3;
15.17 	(2) one year after the date of the insurer's response to the ASC or hospital's request for 
15.18 	reconsideration under subdivision 3; or
15.19 	(3) one year after the insurer's request for reimbursement of an overpayment from an 
15.20 	ASC or hospital under subdivision 4.
15.21 	(b) Paragraph (a) does not prohibit an employee from filing a medical request for 
15.22 	assistance or claim petition for the payment denied or reduced by the insurer. However, the 
15.23 	ASC or hospital may not bill the employee for the denied or reduced payment when 
15.24 	prohibited by this chapter.
15.25 		Subd. 6.Interest. (a) An insurer must pay the ASC or hospital interest at an annual rate 
15.26 	of four percent if it is determined that the insurer is liable for additional ASC or hospital 
15.27 	charges following a denial of payment. Interest is payable by the insurer on the additional 
15.28 	amount owed from the date payment was due.
15.29 	(b) An ASC or hospital must pay the insurer interest at an annual rate of four percent if 
15.30 	it is determined that the hospital owes the insurer reimbursement following the insurer's 
15.31 	request for reimbursement of an overpayment. Interest is payable by the ASC or hospital 
15.32 	on the amount of the overpayment from the date the overpayment was made.

16.1 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective for services provided on or after October 
16.2 	1, 2018.

16.3 	ARTICLE 4
16.4 	AMBULATORY SURGICAL CENTERS

16.5 	Section 1. [176.1363] AMBULATORY SURGICAL CENTER PAYMENT.
16.6 		Subdivision 1.Definitions. (a) For the purpose of this section, the terms defined in this 
16.7 	subdivision have the meanings given them.
16.8 	(b) "Ambulatory surgical center" or "ASC" means a facility that is: (1) certified as an 
16.9 	ASC by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; or (2) licensed by the Department 
16.10 	of Health as a freestanding outpatient surgical center and not owned by a hospital.
16.11 	(c) "Conversion factor" means the Medicare ambulatory surgical center payment system 
16.12 	(ASCPS) conversion factor used for ASCs that meet the Medicare quality reporting 
16.13 	requirements, whether or not the ASC submitting the bill has met the quality reporting 
16.14 	requirements.
16.15 	(d) "Covered surgical procedures and ancillary services" means the procedures listed in 
16.16 	ASCPS, addendum AA, and the ancillary services integral to covered surgical procedures 
16.17 	listed in ASCPS, addendum BB.
16.18 	(e) "Insurer" includes workers' compensation insurers and self-insured employers.
16.19 	(f) "Ambulatory surgical center payment system" or "ASCPS" means the system 
16.20 	developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for payment of surgical 
16.21 	services provided by federally certified ASCs as specified in:
16.22 	(1) Code of Federal Regulations, title 42, part 416, including without limitation the 
16.23 	geographic adjustment for the ASC and the multiple surgical procedure reduction rule;
16.24 	(2) annual revisions to Code of Federal Regulations, title 42, part 416, as published in 
16.25 	the Federal Register;
16.26 	(3) the corresponding addendum AA (final ASC covered surgical procedures), addendum 
16.27 	BB (final covered ancillary services integral to covered surgical procedures), addendum 
16.28 	DD1 (final ASC payment indicators), and any successor or replacement addenda; and
16.29 	(4) the Medicare claims processing manual.
17.1 	(g) "Medicare ASCPS payment" means the Medicare ASCPS payment used for ASCs 
17.2 	that meet the Medicare quality reporting requirements, whether or not the ASC submitting 
17.3 	the bill has met the Medicare quality reporting requirements.
17.4 		Subd. 2.Payment for covered surgical procedures and ancillary services based on 
17.5 	Medicare ASCPS. (a) Except as provided in subdivisions 3 and 4, the payment to the ASC 
17.6 	for covered surgical procedures and ancillary services shall be the lesser of:
17.7 	(1) the ASC's usual and customary charge for all services, supplies, and implantable 
17.8 	devices provided; or
17.9 	(2) the Medicare ASCPS payment, times a multiplier of 320 percent.
17.10 	(i) The amount payable under this clause includes payment for all implantable devices, 
17.11 	even if the Medicare ASCPS would otherwise allow separate payment for the implantable 
17.12 	device.
17.13 	(ii) The 320 percent described in this clause must be adjusted if, on July 1, 2019, or any 
17.14 	subsequent July 1, the conversion factor is less than 98 percent of the conversion factor in 
17.15 	effect on the previous July 1. When this occurs, the multiplier must be 320 percent times 
17.16 	98 percent divided by the percentage that the current Medicare conversion factor bears to 
17.17 	the Medicare conversion factor in effect on the prior July 1. In subsequent years, the 
17.18 	multiplier is 320 percent, unless the Medicare ASCPS conversion factor declines by more 
17.19 	than two percent.
17.20 	(b) Payment under this section is effective for covered surgical procedures and ancillary 
17.21 	services provided by an ASC on or after October 1, 2018, through September 30, 2019, and 
17.22 	shall be based on the addenda AA, BB, and DD1 most recently available on the Centers for 
17.23 	Medicare and Medicaid Services Web site as of July 1, 2018, and the corresponding rules 
17.24 	and Medicare claims processing manual described in subdivision 1, paragraph (f).
17.25 	(1) Payment for covered surgical procedures and ancillary services provided by an ASC 
17.26 	on or after each subsequent October 1 shall be based on the addenda AA, BB, and DD1 
17.27 	most recently available on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Web site as of 
17.28 	the preceding July 1 and the corresponding rules and Medicare claims processing manual.
17.29 	(2) If the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has not updated addendum AA, 
17.30 	BB, or DD1 on its Web site since the commissioner's previous notice under paragraph (c), 
17.31 	the addenda identified in the notice published by the commissioner in paragraph (c) and the 
17.32 	corresponding rules and Medicare claims processing manual shall remain in effect.
18.1 	(3) Addenda AA, BB, and DD1 under this subdivision includes successor or replacement 
18.2 	addenda.
18.3 	(c) The commissioner shall annually give notice in the State Register of any adjustment 
18.4 	to the multiplier under paragraph (a), clause (2), and of the applicable addenda in paragraph 
18.5 	(b) no later than October 1. The notice must identify and include a link to the applicable 
18.6 	addenda. The notices and any adjustment to the multiplier are not rules subject to chapter 
18.7 	14, but have the force and effect of law as of the effective date published in the State Register.
18.8 		Subd. 3.Payment for compensable surgical services not covered under ASCPS. (a) 
18.9 	If a surgical procedure provided by an ASC is compensable under this chapter but is not 
18.10 	listed in addendum AA or BB of the Medicare ASCPS, payment must be 75 percent of the 
18.11 	ASC's usual and customary charge for the procedure with the highest charge. Payment for 
18.12 	each subsequent surgical procedure not listed in addendum AA or BB must be paid at 50 
18.13 	percent of the ASC's usual and customary charge.
18.14 	(b) Payment must be 75 percent of the ASC's usual and customary charge for a surgical 
18.15 	procedure or ancillary service if the procedure or service is listed in Medicare ASCPS 
18.16 	addendum AA or BB and: (1) the payment indicator provides it is paid at a reasonable cost; 
18.17 	(2) the payment indicator provides it is contractor priced; or (3) a payment rate is not 
18.18 	otherwise provided.
18.19 		Subd. 4.Study. The commissioner shall conduct a study analyzing the impact of the 
18.20 	reforms, including timeliness and accuracy of payment under this section, and recommend 
18.21 	further changes if needed. The commissioner must report the results of the study to the 
18.22 	Workers' Compensation Advisory Council and the chairs and ranking minority members 
18.23 	of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over workers' compensation by January 15, 
18.24 	2021.
18.25 		Subd. 5.Rulemaking. The commissioner may adopt or amend rules using the authority 
18.26 	in section 14.386, paragraph (a), to implement this section and the Medicare ASCPS for 
18.27 	workers' compensation. The rules are not subject to expiration under section 14.386, 
18.28 	paragraph (b).

18.29 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective for procedures and services provided by 
18.30 	an ASC on or after October 1, 2018, except subdivision 5 is effective the day following 
18.31 	final enactment.

19.1 	ARTICLE 5
19.2 	WORKERS' COMPENSATION BENEFITS

19.3 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 176.011, subdivision 15, is amended to read:
19.4 		Subd. 15.Occupational disease. (a) "Occupational disease" means a mental impairment 
19.5 	as defined in paragraph (d) or physical disease arising out of and in the course of employment 
19.6 	peculiar to the occupation in which the employee is engaged and due to causes in excess of 
19.7 	the hazards ordinary of employment and shall include undulant fever. Physical stimulus 
19.8 	resulting in mental injury and mental stimulus resulting in physical injury shall remain 
19.9 	compensable. Mental impairment is not considered a disease if it results from a disciplinary 
19.10 	action, work evaluation, job transfer, layoff, demotion, promotion, termination, retirement, 
19.11 	or similar action taken in good faith by the employer. Ordinary diseases of life to which the 
19.12 	general public is equally exposed outside of employment are not compensable, except where 
19.13 	the diseases follow as an incident of an occupational disease, or where the exposure peculiar 
19.14 	to the occupation makes the disease an occupational disease hazard. A disease arises out of 
19.15 	the employment only if there be a direct causal connection between the conditions under 
19.16 	which the work is performed and if the occupational disease follows as a natural incident 
19.17 	of the work as a result of the exposure occasioned by the nature of the employment. An 
19.18 	employer is not liable for compensation for any occupational disease which cannot be traced 
19.19 	to the employment as a direct and proximate cause and is not recognized as a hazard 
19.20 	characteristic of and peculiar to the trade, occupation, process, or employment or which 
19.21 	results from a hazard to which the worker would have been equally exposed outside of the 
19.22 	employment.
19.23 	(b) If immediately preceding the date of disablement or death, an employee was employed 
19.24 	on active duty with an organized fire or police department of any municipality, as a member 
19.25 	of the Minnesota State Patrol, conservation officer service, state crime bureau, as a forest 
19.26 	officer by the Department of Natural Resources, state correctional officer, or sheriff or 
19.27 	full-time deputy sheriff of any county, and the disease is that of myocarditis, coronary 
19.28 	sclerosis, pneumonia or its sequel, and at the time of employment such employee was given 
19.29 	a thorough physical examination by a licensed doctor of medicine, and a written report 
19.30 	thereof has been made and filed with such organized fire or police department, with the 
19.31 	Minnesota State Patrol, conservation officer service, state crime bureau, Department of 
19.32 	Natural Resources, Department of Corrections, or sheriff's department of any county, which 
19.33 	examination and report negatived any evidence of myocarditis, coronary sclerosis, pneumonia 
19.34 	or its sequel, the disease is presumptively an occupational disease and shall be presumed 
19.35 	to have been due to the nature of employment. If immediately preceding the date of 
20.1 	disablement or death, any individual who by nature of their position provides emergency 
20.2 	medical care, or an employee who was employed as a licensed police officer under section 
20.3 	626.84, subdivision 1; firefighter; paramedic; state correctional officer; emergency medical 
20.4 	technician; or licensed nurse providing emergency medical care; and who contracts an 
20.5 	infectious or communicable disease to which the employee was exposed in the course of 
20.6 	employment outside of a hospital, then the disease is presumptively an occupational disease 
20.7 	and shall be presumed to have been due to the nature of employment and the presumption 
20.8 	may be rebutted by substantial factors brought by the employer or insurer. Any substantial 
20.9 	factors which shall be used to rebut this presumption and which are known to the employer 
20.10 	or insurer at the time of the denial of liability shall be communicated to the employee on 
20.11 	the denial of liability.
20.12 	(c) A firefighter on active duty with an organized fire department who is unable to 
20.13 	perform duties in the department by reason of a disabling cancer of a type caused by exposure 
20.14 	to heat, radiation, or a known or suspected carcinogen, as defined by the International 
20.15 	Agency for Research on Cancer, and the carcinogen is reasonably linked to the disabling 
20.16 	cancer, is presumed to have an occupational disease under paragraph (a). If a firefighter 
20.17 	who enters the service after August 1, 1988, is examined by a physician prior to being hired 
20.18 	and the examination discloses the existence of a cancer of a type described in this paragraph, 
20.19 	the firefighter is not entitled to the presumption unless a subsequent medical determination 
20.20 	is made that the firefighter no longer has the cancer.
20.21 	(d) For the purposes of this chapter, "mental impairment" means a diagnosis of 
20.22 	post-traumatic stress disorder by a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist. For the purposes 
20.23 	of this chapter, "post-traumatic stress disorder" means the condition as described in the most 
20.24 	recently published edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by 
20.25 	the American Psychiatric Association. For purposes of section 79.34, subdivision 2, one or 
20.26 	more compensable mental impairment claims arising out of a single event or occurrence 
20.27 	shall constitute a single loss occurrence.
20.28 	(e) If, preceding the date of disablement or death, an employee who was employed on 
20.29 	active duty as: a licensed police officer; a firefighter; a paramedic; an emergency medical 
20.30 	technician; a licensed nurse employed to provide emergency medical services outside of a 
20.31 	medical facility; a public safety dispatcher; an officer employed by the state or a political 
20.32 	subdivision at a corrections, detention, or secure treatment facility; a sheriff or full-time 
20.33 	deputy sheriff of any county; or a member of the Minnesota State Patrol is diagnosed with 
20.34 	a mental impairment as defined in paragraph (d), and had not been diagnosed with the mental 
20.35 	impairment previously, then the mental impairment is presumptively an occupational disease 
21.1 	and shall be presumed to have been due to the nature of employment. This presumption 
21.2 	may be rebutted by substantial factors brought by the employer or insurer. Any substantial 
21.3 	factors that are used to rebut this presumption and that are known to the employer or insurer 
21.4 	at the time of the denial of liability shall be communicated to the employee on the denial 
21.5 	of liability. The mental impairment is not considered an occupational disease if it results 
21.6 	from a disciplinary action, work evaluation, job transfer, layoff, demotion, promotion, 
21.7 	termination, retirement, or similar action taken in good faith by the employer.

21.8 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective for employees with dates of injury on 
21.9 	or after January 1, 2019.

21.10 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 176.101, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
21.11 		Subd. 2.Temporary partial disability. (a) In all cases of temporary partial disability 
21.12 	the compensation shall be 66-2/3 percent of the difference between the weekly wage of the 
21.13 	employee at the time of injury and the wage the employee is able to earn in the employee's 
21.14 	partially disabled condition. This compensation shall be paid during the period of disability 
21.15 	except as provided in this section, payment to be made at the intervals when the wage was 
21.16 	payable, as nearly as may be, and subject to the maximum rate for temporary total 
21.17 	compensation.
21.18 	(b) Temporary partial compensation may be paid only while the employee is employed, 
21.19 	earning less than the employee's weekly wage at the time of the injury, and the reduced 
21.20 	wage the employee is able to earn in the employee's partially disabled condition is due to 
21.21 	the injury. Except as provided in section 176.102, subdivision 11, paragraphs (b) and (c), 
21.22 	temporary partial compensation may not be paid for more than 225 275 weeks, or after 450 
21.23 	weeks after the date of injury, whichever occurs first.
21.24 	(c) Temporary partial compensation must be reduced to the extent that the wage the 
21.25 	employee is able to earn in the employee's partially disabled condition plus the temporary 
21.26 	partial disability payment otherwise payable under this subdivision exceeds 500 percent of 
21.27 	the statewide average weekly wage.

21.28 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 176.101, subdivision 2a, is amended to read:
21.29 		Subd. 2a.Permanent partial disability. (a) Compensation for permanent partial disability 
21.30 	is as provided in this subdivision. Permanent partial disability must be rated as a percentage 
21.31 	of the whole body in accordance with rules adopted by the commissioner under section 
21.32 	176.105. The percentage determined pursuant to the rules must be multiplied by the 
21.33 	corresponding amount in the following table:

22.1	Impairment Rating
			Amount
		
22.2	(percent)
					
22.422.3
	less than 5.5
		$
	75,000
78,800
		
22.622.5
	5.5 to less than 10.5
			80,000
84,000
		
22.822.7
	10.5 to less than 15.5
			85,000
89,300
		
22.1022.9	15.5 to less than 20.5
			90,000
94,500
		
22.1222.11
	20.5 to less than 25.5
			95,000
99,800
		
22.1422.13
	25.5 to less than 30.5
			100,000
105,000
		
22.1622.15
	30.5 to less than 35.5
			110,000
115,500
		
22.1822.17
	35.5 to less than 40.5
			120,000
126,000
		
22.2022.19
	40.5 to less than 45.5
			130,000
136,500
		
22.2222.21
	45.5 to less than 50.5
			140,000
147,000
		
22.2422.23
	50.5 to less than 55.5
			165,000
173,300
		
22.2622.25
	55.5 to less than 60.5
			190,000
199,500
		
22.2822.27
	60.5 to less than 65.5
			215,000
225,800
		
22.3022.29
	65.5 to less than 70.5
			240,000
252,000
		
22.3222.31
	70.5 to less than 75.5
			265,000
278,300
		
22.3422.33
	75.5 to less than 80.5
			315,000
330,800
		
22.3622.35
	80.5 to less than 85.5
			365,000
383,300
		
22.3822.37
	85.5 to less than 90.5
			415,000
435,800
		
22.4022.39
	90.5 to less than 95.5
			465,000
488,300
		
22.4222.41
	95.5 up to and including 100
			515,000
540,800
		
22.43 	An employee may not receive compensation for more than a 100 percent disability of 
22.44 	the whole body, even if the employee sustains disability to two or more body parts.
23.1 	(b) Permanent partial disability is payable upon cessation of temporary total disability 
23.2 	under subdivision 1. If the employee requests payment in a lump sum, then the compensation 
23.3 	must be paid within 30 days. This lump-sum payment may be discounted to the present 
23.4 	value calculated up to a maximum five percent basis. If the employee does not choose to 
23.5 	receive the compensation in a lump sum, then the compensation is payable in installments 
23.6 	at the same intervals and in the same amount as the employee's temporary total disability 
23.7 	rate on the date of injury. Permanent partial disability is not payable while temporary total 
23.8 	compensation is being paid.

23.9 	Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 176.101, subdivision 4, is amended to read:
23.10 		Subd. 4.Permanent total disability. For permanent total disability, as defined in 
23.11 	subdivision 5, the compensation shall be 66-2/3 percent of the daily wage at the time of the 
23.12 	injury, subject to a maximum weekly compensation equal to the maximum weekly 
23.13 	compensation for a temporary total disability and a minimum weekly compensation equal 
23.14 	to 65 percent of the statewide average weekly wage. This compensation shall be paid during 
23.15 	the permanent total disability of the injured employee but after a total of $25,000 of weekly 
23.16 	compensation has been paid, the amount of the weekly compensation benefits being paid 
23.17 	by the employer shall be reduced by the amount of any disability benefits being paid by 
23.18 	any government disability benefit program if the disability benefits are occasioned by the 
23.19 	same injury or injuries which give rise to payments under this subdivision. This reduction 
23.20 	shall also apply to any old age and survivor insurance benefits. Payments shall be made at 
23.21 	the intervals when the wage was payable, as nearly as may be. In case an employee who is 
23.22 	permanently and totally disabled becomes an inmate of a public institution, no compensation 
23.23 	shall be payable during the period of confinement in the institution, unless there is wholly 
23.24 	dependent on the employee for support some person named in section 176.111, subdivision 
23.25 	1, 2 or 3, in which case the compensation provided for in section 176.111, during the period 
23.26 	of confinement, shall be paid for the benefit of the dependent person during dependency. 
23.27 	The dependency of this person shall be determined as though the employee were deceased. 
23.28 	Permanent total disability shall cease at age 67 because the employee is presumed retired 
23.29 	from the labor market 72, except that if an employee is injured after age 67, permanent total 
23.30 	disability benefits shall cease after five years of those benefits have been paid. This 
23.31 	presumption is rebuttable by the employee. The subjective statement the employee is not 
23.32 	retired is not sufficient in itself to rebut the presumptive evidence of retirement but may be 
23.33 	considered along with other evidence.

24.1 	Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 176.102, subdivision 11, is amended to read:
24.2 		Subd. 11.Retraining; compensation. (a) Retraining is limited to 156 weeks. An 
24.3 	employee who has been approved for retraining may petition the commissioner or 
24.4 	compensation judge for additional compensation not to exceed 25 percent of the 
24.5 	compensation otherwise payable. If the commissioner or compensation judge determines 
24.6 	that this additional compensation is warranted due to unusual or unique circumstances of 
24.7 	the employee's retraining plan, the commissioner may award additional compensation in 
24.8 	an amount not to exceed the employee's request. This additional compensation shall cease 
24.9 	at any time the commissioner or compensation judge determines the special circumstances 
24.10 	are no longer present.
24.11 	(b) If the employee is not employed during a retraining plan that has been specifically 
24.12 	approved under this section, temporary total compensation is payable for up to 90 days after 
24.13 	the end of the retraining plan; except that, payment during the 90-day period is subject to 
24.14 	cessation in accordance with section 176.101. If the employee is employed during the 
24.15 	retraining plan but earning less than at the time of injury, temporary partial compensation 
24.16 	is payable at the rate of 66-2/3 percent of the difference between the employee's weekly 
24.17 	wage at the time of injury and the weekly wage the employee is able to earn in the employee's 
24.18 	partially disabled condition, subject to the maximum rate for temporary total compensation. 
24.19 	Temporary partial compensation is not subject to the 225-week 275-week or 450-week 
24.20 	limitations provided by section 176.101, subdivision 2, during the retraining plan, but is 
24.21 	subject to those limitations before and after the plan.
24.22 	(c) Any request for retraining shall be filed with the commissioner before 208 weeks of 
24.23 	any combination of temporary total or temporary partial compensation have been paid. 
24.24 	Retraining shall not be available after 208 weeks of any combination of temporary total or 
24.25 	temporary partial compensation benefits have been paid unless the request for the retraining 
24.26 	has been filed with the commissioner prior to the time the 208 weeks of compensation have 
24.27 	been paid.
24.28 	(d) The employer or insurer must notify the employee in writing of the 208-week 
24.29 	limitation for filing a request for retraining with the commissioner. This notice must be 
24.30 	given before 80 weeks of temporary total disability or temporary partial disability 
24.31 	compensation have been paid, regardless of the number of weeks that have elapsed since 
24.32 	the date of injury. If the notice is not given before the 80 weeks, the period of time within 
24.33 	which to file a request for retraining is extended by the number of days the notice is late, 
24.34 	but in no event may a request be filed later than 225 weeks after any combination of 
24.35 	temporary total disability or temporary partial disability compensation have been paid. The 
25.1 	commissioner may assess a penalty of $25 per day that the notice is late, up to a maximum 
25.2 	penalty of $2,000, against an employer or insurer for failure to provide the notice. The 
25.3 	penalty is payable to the commissioner for deposit in the assigned risk safety account.

25.4 	Sec. 6. Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 176.83, subdivision 5, is amended to read:
25.5 		Subd. 5.Treatment standards for medical services. (a) In consultation with the Medical 
25.6 	Services Review Board or the rehabilitation review panel, the commissioner shall adopt 
25.7 	rules establishing standards and procedures for health care provider treatment. The rules 
25.8 	shall apply uniformly to all providers including those providing managed care under section 
25.9 	176.1351. The rules shall be used to determine whether a provider of health care services 
25.10 	and rehabilitation services, including a provider of medical, chiropractic, podiatric, surgical, 
25.11 	hospital, or other services, is performing procedures or providing services at a level or with 
25.12 	a frequency that is excessive, unnecessary, or inappropriate under section 176.135, 
25.13 	subdivision 1, based upon accepted medical standards for quality health care and accepted 
25.14 	rehabilitation standards.
25.15 	(b) The rules shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
25.16 	(1) criteria for diagnosis and treatment of the most common work-related injuries 
25.17 	including, but not limited to, low back injuries and upper extremity repetitive trauma injuries;
25.18 	(2) criteria for surgical procedures including, but not limited to, diagnosis, prior 
25.19 	conservative treatment, supporting diagnostic imaging and testing, and anticipated outcome 
25.20 	criteria;
25.21 	(3) criteria for use of appliances, adaptive equipment, and use of health clubs or other 
25.22 	exercise facilities;
25.23 	(4) criteria for diagnostic imaging procedures;
25.24 	(5) criteria for inpatient hospitalization;
25.25 	(6) criteria for treatment of chronic pain; and
25.26 	(7) criteria for the long-term use of opioids or other scheduled medications to alleviate 
25.27 	intractable pain and improve function, including the use of written contracts between the 
25.28 	injured worker and the health care provider who prescribes the medication.; and
25.29 	(8) criteria for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. In developing such treatment 
25.30 	criteria, the commissioner and the Medical Services Review Board shall consider the 
25.31 	guidance set forth in the American Psychological Association's most recently adopted 
25.32 	Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in 
26.1 	Adults. The commissioner shall adopt such rules using the expedited rulemaking process 
26.2 	in section 14.389, including subdivision 5, to commence promptly upon final enactment of 
26.3 	the legislation enacting this clause. Such rules shall apply to employees with all dates of 
26.4 	injury who receive treatment after the commissioner adopts the rules. In consultation with 
26.5 	the Medical Services Review Board, the commissioner shall review and update the rules 
26.6 	governing criteria for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder each time the American 
26.7 	Psychological Association adopts a significant change to their Clinical Practice Guideline 
26.8 	for the Treatment of PTSD in Adults, using the expedited rulemaking process in section 
26.9 	14.389, including subdivision 5.
26.10 	(c) If it is determined by the payer that the level, frequency, or cost of a procedure or 
26.11 	service of a provider is excessive, unnecessary, or inappropriate according to the standards 
26.12 	established by the rules, the provider shall not be paid for the procedure, service, or cost by 
26.13 	an insurer, self-insurer, or group self-insurer, and the provider shall not be reimbursed or 
26.14 	attempt to collect reimbursement for the procedure, service, or cost from any other source, 
26.15 	including the employee, another insurer, the special compensation fund, or any government 
26.16 	program unless the commissioner or compensation judge determines at a hearing or 
26.17 	administrative conference that the level, frequency, or cost was not excessive under the 
26.18 	rules in which case the insurer, self-insurer, or group self-insurer shall make the payment 
26.19 	deemed reasonable.
26.20 	(d) A rehabilitation provider who is determined by the rehabilitation review panel board, 
26.21 	after hearing, to be consistently performing procedures or providing services at an excessive 
26.22 	level or cost may be prohibited from receiving any further reimbursement for procedures 
26.23 	or services provided under this chapter. A prohibition imposed on a provider under this 
26.24 	subdivision may be grounds for revocation or suspension of the provider's license or 
26.25 	certificate of registration to provide health care or rehabilitation service in Minnesota by 
26.26 	the appropriate licensing or certifying body. The commissioner and Medical Services Review 
26.27 	Board shall review excessive, inappropriate, or unnecessary health care provider treatment 
26.28 	under section 176.103.

26.29 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective June 1, 2018.

26.30 	Sec. 7. EFFECTIVE DATE.
 26.31 	Unless otherwise specified, this article is effective for employees with dates of injury 
26.32 	on or after October 1, 2018.