(1) The department shall establish an industrial insurance chiropractic advisory committee. The industrial insurance chiropractic advisory committee shall advise the department on matters related to the provision of safe, effective, and cost-effective chiropractic treatments for injured workers. The industrial insurance chiropractic advisory committee may provide peer review and advise and assist the department in the resolution of controversies, disputes, and problems between the department and the providers of chiropractic care.
(2) The industrial insurance chiropractic advisory committee is composed of up to nine members appointed by the director. The members must not include any department employees. The director must consider nominations from recognized statewide chiropractic groups such as the Washington state chiropractic association. At least two members must be chiropractors who are recognized for expertise in evidence-based practice or occupational health.
(3) The industrial insurance chiropractic advisory committee shall choose its chair from among its membership.
(4) The members of the industrial insurance chiropractic advisory committee and any ad hoc group or subcommittee: (a) Are immune from civil liability for any official acts performed in good faith to further the purposes of the industrial insurance chiropractic advisory committee; and (b) may be compensated for participation in the work of the industrial insurance chiropractic advisory committee in accordance with a personal services contract to be executed after appointment and before commencement of activities related to the work of the industrial insurance chiropractic advisory committee.
(5) The members of the industrial insurance chiropractic advisory committee shall disclose all potential financial conflicts of interest including contracts with or employment by a manufacturer, provider, or vendor of health technologies, drugs, medical devices, diagnostic tools, or other medical services during their term or for eighteen months before their appointment. As a condition of appointment, each person must agree to the terms and conditions regarding conflicts of interest as determined by the director.
(6) The industrial insurance chiropractic advisory committee shall meet at the times and places designated by the director and hold meetings during the year as necessary to provide advice to the director. Meetings of the industrial insurance chiropractic advisory committee are subject to chapter
42.30 RCW, the open public meetings act.
(7) The industrial insurance chiropractic advisory committee shall coordinate with the state health technology assessment program and state prescription drug program as necessary. As provided by RCW
70.14.100 and
70.14.050, the decisions of the state health technology assessment program and those of the state prescription drug program hold greater weight than decisions made by the department's industrial insurance chiropractic advisory committee under Title
51 RCW.
(8) Neither the industrial insurance chiropractic advisory committee nor any group is an agency for purposes of chapter
34.05 RCW.
(9) The department shall provide administrative support to the industrial insurance chiropractic advisory committee and adopt rules to carry out the purposes of this section.
(10) The chair and ranking minority member of the house of representatives commerce and labor committee or the chair and ranking minority member of the senate labor, commerce, research and development committee, or successor committees, may request that the industrial insurance chiropractic advisory committee review a medical issue related to industrial insurance and provide a written report to the house of representatives commerce and labor committee and the senate labor, commerce, research and development committee, or successor committees. The industrial insurance chiropractic advisory committee is not required to act on the request.
(11) The workers' compensation advisory committee may request that the industrial insurance chiropractic advisory committee consider specific medical issues that have arisen multiple times during the work of the workers' compensation advisory committee. The industrial insurance chiropractic advisory committee is not required to act on the request.