Rhode Island General Laws 28-33-5. Medical services provided by employer
The employer shall, subject to the choice of the employee as provided in § 28-33-8, promptly provide for an injured employee any reasonable medical, surgical, dental, optical, or other attendance or treatment, nurse and hospital service, medicines, crutches, and apparatus for such period as is necessary, in order to cure, rehabilitate, or relieve the employee from the effects of the employee’s injury. Irrespective of the date of injury, the liability of the employer for hospital service rendered under this section to the injured employee shall be the cost to the hospital of rendering the service at the time the service is rendered. The director, after consultations with representatives of hospitals, employers, and insurance companies, shall establish administrative procedures regarding the furnishing and filing of data and the time and method of billing and may accept as representing the costs for both routine and special services to patients, costs as computed for the federal Medicare program. Each hospital licensed under chapter 17 of Title 23 that renders services to injured employees under the workers’ compensation act, chapters 29 — 38 of this title, shall submit and certify to the director, in accordance with requirements of the administrative procedures established by him or her, its costs for those services. The employer shall also provide all medical, optical, dental, and surgical appliances and apparatus required to cure or relieve the employee from the effects of the injury, including, but not limited to, the following: ambulance and nursing service, eyeglasses, dentures, braces and supports, artificial limbs, crutches, and other similar appliances; provided, that the employer shall not be liable to pay for or provide hearing aids or other amplification devices.
History of Section.
P.L. 1912, ch. 831, art. 6, § 5; P.L. 1915, ch. 1268, § 1; G.L. 1923, ch. 92, art. 6, § 5; G.L. 1938, ch. 300, art. 6, § 5; P.L. 1954, ch. 3297, § 1; G.L. 1956, § 28-32-5; P.L. 1985, ch. 365, § 6; P.L. 1986, ch. 507, § 7; P.L. 1990, ch. 332, art. 1, § 3; P.L. 2001, ch. 256, § 4; P.L. 2001, ch. 355, § 4; P.L. 2013, ch. 445, § 1; P.L. 2013, ch. 475, § 1; P.L. 2022, ch. 234, art. 1, § 15, effective December 31, 2022; P.L. 2023, ch. 205, § 1, effective June 21, 2023; P.L. 2023, ch. 206, § 1, effective June 21, 2023.
Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 28-33-5
- Director: means the director of labor and training or his or her designee unless specifically stated otherwise. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-29-2
- Employee: means any person who has entered into the employment of or works under contract of service or apprenticeship with any employer, except that in the case of a city or town other than the city of Providence it shall only mean that class or those classes of employees as may be designated by a city, town, or regional school district in a manner provided in this chapter to receive compensation under chapters 29 — 38 of this title. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-29-2
- Injury: means and refers to personal injury to an employee arising out of and in the course of his or her employment, connected and referable to the employment. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-29-2