{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-85a-85a-17","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 85A, § 85A-17","heading":"Physician Advisory Committee","body":"A. There is hereby created a Physician Advisory Committee\n\ncomprised of nine (9) members to be appointed as follows:\n\n1. The Governor shall appoint three members, one of whom shall\n\nbe licensed in this state as a doctor of medicine and surgery, one\n\nof whom shall be engaged in the practice of family medicine in a\n\nrural community of the state, and one of whom shall be an\n\nosteopathic physician;\n\n2. The President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall appoint three\n\nmembers, one of whom shall be licensed in this state as a doctor of\n\nmedicine and orthopedic surgery, one of whom shall be licensed in\n\nthis state either as a doctor of medicine or a doctor of osteopathy\n\nand a neurosurgeon, and one of whom shall be licensed in this state\n\nas a podiatric physician; and\n\n3. The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint\n\nthree members, one of whom shall be licensed in this state as an\n\nosteopathic physician, one of whom shall be licensed in this state\n\neither as a doctor of medicine or a doctor of osteopathy and shall\n\nbe engaged in the practice of occupational medicine, and one of whom\n\nshall be licensed in this state as a chiropractic physician.\n\nAny member serving on the effective date of this section shall\n\nserve the remainder of his or her term. Thereafter, each position\n\nwill be filled by the appointing official for a term of three (3)\n\nyears. Members shall be subject to reappointment, with any new\n\nappointee to serve out the remainder of the unexpired term of the\n\nCommittee member so replaced.\n\nB. The Committee shall:\n\n1. Assist and advise the Workers’ Compensation Commission\n\nregarding utilization review as it relates to the medical practice\n\nand treatment of work-related injuries. Such utilization review\n\nshall include a review of reasonable and necessary medical\n\ntreatment; abusive practices; needless treatments, testing, or\n\nprocedures; or a pattern of billing in excess of or in violation of\n\nthe Schedule of Medical Fees. The Physician Advisory Committee\n\nshall review and make findings and recommendations to the Commission\n\nwith respect to charges of inappropriate or unnecessary treatment or\n\nprocedures, abusive practices, or excessive billing disclosed\n\nthrough utilization review;\n\n2. Assist the Commission in reviewing medical practices of\n\nhealth care providers, including evaluations of permanent disability\n\nprovided by health care providers. The Committee shall review and\n\nmake findings and recommendations to the Commission with respect to\n\ncharges of abusive practices by health care providers providing\n\nmedical services or evaluations of permanent partial disability\n\nthrough the workers’ compensation system;\n\n3. After public hearing, review and make recommendations for\n\nacceptable deviations from the American Medical Association’s\n\n“Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment”;\n\n4. After public hearing, adopt Physician Advisory Committee\n\nGuidelines (PACG) and protocols for only medical treatment not\n\naddressed by the latest edition of the Official Disability\n\nGuidelines;\n\n5. After public hearing, adopt Physician Advisory Committee\n\nGuidelines for the prescription and dispensing of any controlled\n\nsubstance included in Schedule II of the Uniform Controlled\n\nDangerous Substances Act if not addressed by the current edition of\n\nthe Official Disability Guidelines;\n\n6. Review utilization on cases or of providers when requested\n\nby any employer, injured employee or insurer. The Committee may\n\nissue a public or private censure to any provider for utilization\n\nwhich is excessive or inadequate, or recommend the Commission order\n\ntreatment within the treatment guidelines;\n\n7. Provide general recommendations to the Commission on the\n\nissues of injury causation and apportionment;\n\n8. Conduct educational seminars for the Commission, employers,\n\nemployees, and other interested parties;\nee may\n\nissue a public or private censure to any provider for utilization\n\nwhich is excessive or inadequate, or recommend the Commission order\n\ntreatment within the treatment guidelines;\n\n7. Provide general recommendations to the Commission on the\n\nissues of injury causation and apportionment;\n\n8. Conduct educational seminars for the Commission, employers,\n\nemployees, and other interested parties;\n\n9. Assist the Commission in accessing medical information from\n\nscientific literature; and\n\n10. Report its progress annually to the Governor, the President\n\nPro Tempore of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of\n\nRepresentatives.\n\nC. The Commission shall recognize the latest edition of the\n\nOfficial Disability Guidelines as the primary standard of reference,\n\nat the time of treatment, in determining the frequency and extent of\n\nservices presumed to be medically necessary and appropriate for\n\ncompensable injuries under this act, or in resolving such matters in\n\nthe event a dispute arises.\n\nD. Members of the Physician Advisory Committee shall receive no\n\ncompensation for serving on the Committee but shall be reimbursed by\n\nthe Commission for their necessary travel expenses incurred in the\n\nperformance of their duties in accordance with the State Travel\n\nReimbursement Act.\n\nE. Meetings of the Physician Advisory Committee shall be called\n\nby the Commission but held at least quarterly. The presence of a\n\nmajority of the members shall constitute a quorum. No action shall\n\nbe taken by the Physician Advisory Committee without the affirmative\n\nvote of at least a majority of the members.\n\nF. The Commission shall provide office supplies and personnel\n\nof the Commission to assist the Committee in the performance of its\n\nduties.\n\nG. Upon written request, the Insurance Commissioner, CompSource\n\nMutual Insurance Company, and every approved self-insured employer\n\nin Oklahoma shall provide the Committee with data necessary to the\n\nperformance of its duties.\n\nH. Any health care provider acting in good faith and within the\n\nscope of the provider’s duties as a member of the Physician Advisory\n\nCommittee shall be immune from civil liability for making any report\n\nor other information available to the judges of the Commission or to\n\nthe Commission or for assisting in the origination, investigation,\n\nor preparation of the report or other information so provided.","path":["OK Code","Title 85A"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os85A.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"72bbffd310ab30dfe1efd8e5eb5837e4196021d09cfafadaf119263606ad1937","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-85a-85a-16","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-85a-85a-18"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}