Designating Address, Fax Number or Email Address for Utilization Review Purposes
Effective Jan. 1, 2022, the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) amended its Rules of Practice and Procedure to permit electronic service, including via email. The Labor Code, however, previously recognized electronic service of a request for authorization (RFA) for medical treatment. Specifically, LC 4610(i)(1) states: "The request for authorization and supporting documentation may be submitted electronically under rules adopted by the administrative director." To avoid complications and unnecessary delays in the utilization review (UR) process, the Labor Code and administrative regulations also specify to whom and how RFAs must be served. LC 4610(g)(2)(A) requires a requesting physician to send an RFA "to the claims administrator for the employer, insurer, or other entity according to the rules adopted by the administrative director." That language was adopted because physicians expressed difficulty in determining to whom an RFA should be sent. So the Labor Code clarifies that...