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Hawaii House committee passes independent medical exam bill

Posted On: Feb. 15, 2018 12:18 PM CST

Hawaii House committee passes independent medical exam bill

A Hawaii House of Representatives committee on Friday passed a bill that would require doctors who perform independent medical examinations to be qualified to treat injured workers.

The House Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce passed H.B. 2202, introduced by Rep. Aaron Ling Johanson, D-Moanalua, on an 8-0 vote.

H.B. 2202 requires that a qualified doctor or surgeon that is paid for by the employer to perform a medical examination be duly qualified to treat the injury being examined, possess medical malpractice insurance, and “owe the same duty of care to the injured employee while performing such a medical examination as would be owed to a traditional patient,” according to the bill’s latest text.

The bill was referred to the Committee on Financial Services on Tuesday.