Effective Date of Rule: July 1, 2010.

     Purpose: Medical aid rules -- Conversion factors, WAC 296-20-135, medical aid updates regarding rate setting for most professional health care services for injured workers. Rule changes are necessary to update our payment rates for health care services, which are published annually in the medical aid rules and fee schedules.

     Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 296-20-135.

     Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 51.04.020(1) and 51.04.030.

      Adopted under notice filed as WSR 10-06-096 on March 2, 2010.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0;      Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.

     Date Adopted: May 4, 2010.

Judy Schurke

Director

OTS-3042.1

AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 08-09-121, filed 4/22/08, effective 7/1/08)

WAC 296-20-135   Conversion factors.   (1) Conversion factors are used to calculate payment levels for services reimbursed under the Washington resource based relative value scale (RBRVS), and for anesthesia services payable with base and time units.

     (2) Washington RBRVS services have a conversion factor of (($61.53)) $60.78. The fee schedules list the reimbursement levels for these services.

     (3) Anesthesia services that are paid with base and time units have a conversion factor of $3.19 per minute, which is equivalent to $47.85 per 15 minutes. The base units and payment policies can be found in the fee schedules.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 51.04.020(1) and 51.04.030. 08-09-121, § 296-20-135, filed 4/22/08, effective 7/1/08; 07-10-082, § 296-20-135, filed 5/1/07, effective 7/1/07; 06-09-071, § 296-20-135, filed 4/18/06, effective 7/1/06; 05-09-062, § 296-20-135, filed 4/19/05, effective 7/1/05; 04-09-100, § 296-20-135, filed 4/20/04, effective 7/1/04; 03-14-043, § 296-20-135, filed 6/24/03, effective 8/1/03; 02-10-129, § 296-20-135, filed 5/1/02, effective 7/1/02; 01-10-026, § 296-20-135, filed 4/24/01, effective 7/1/01; 00-09-077, § 296-20-135, filed 4/18/00, effective 7/1/00. Statutory Authority: RCW 51.04.020(4) and 51.04.030. 99-10-043, § 296-20-135, filed 4/30/99, effective 7/1/99; 98-09-125, § 296-20-135, filed 4/22/98, effective 7/1/98; 97-10-017, § 296-20-135, filed 4/28/97, effective 7/1/97. Statutory Authority: RCW 51.04.020 and 51.04.030. 96-19-060. § 296-20-135, filed 9/16/96, effective 10/17/96; 96-10-086, § 296-20-135, filed 5/1/96, effective 7/1/96; 95-17-001 § 296-20-135, filed 8/2/95, effective 10/1/95; 95-05-072, § 296-20-135, filed 2/15/95, effective 3/18/95. Statutory Authority: RCW 51.04.020, 51.04.030 and 1993 c 159. 94-02-045 and 94-03-008, § 296-20-135, filed 12/30/93 and 1/6/94, effective 3/1/94; 93-16-072, § 296-20-135, filed 8/1/93, effective 9/1/93. Statutory Authority: RCW 51.04.020(4) and 51.04.030. 91-02-063, § 296-20-135, filed 12/28/90, effective 1/28/91; 88-24-011 (Order 88-28), § 296-20-135, filed 12/1/88, effective 1/1/89; 87-03-004 (Order 86-45), § 296-20-135, filed 1/8/87; 83-24-016 (Order 83-35), § 296-20-135, filed 11/30/83, effective 1/1/84; 82-24-050 (Order 82-39), § 296-20-135, filed 11/29/82, effective 7/1/83. Statutory Authority: RCW 51.04.020(4), 51.04.030, and 51.16.120(3). 81-24-041 (Order 81-28), § 296-20-135, filed 11/30/81, effective 1/1/82; 80-18-033 (Order 80-24), § 296-20-135, filed 12/1/80, effective 1/1/81. Statutory Authority: RCW 51.04.030 and 51.16.035. 79-12-086 (Order 79-18), § 296-20-135, filed 11/30/79, effective 1/1/80; Order 77-27, § 296-20-135, filed 11/30/77, effective 1/1/78; Order 76-34, § 296-20-135, filed 11/24/76, effective 1/1/77; Order 75-39, § 296-20-135, filed 11/28/75, effective 1/1/76; Order 74-7, § 296-20-135, filed 1/30/74; Order 71-6, § 296-20-135, filed 6/1/71; Order 68-7, § 296-20-135, filed 11/27/68, effective 1/1/69.]

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