§ 50-6-126 — Medical director

The administrator shall appoint a medical director who shall be the executive secretary and a nonvoting ex officio member of the medical committee. The medical director shall be appointed from a list of three (3) nominees submitted by the Tennessee Medical Association. If the administrator finds the list of three (3) nominees to be unsatisfactory, then the administrator shall return the list to the Tennessee Medical Association and the association shall submit another list of nominees. This process shall be repeated, if necessary, until the administrator selects a nominee to be medical director. The medical director may be a part-time employee, a full-time employee or a contract employee, and shall perform the following functions for which the medical director shall be responsible to the administrator or medical care and cost containment committee, as appropriate: (1) Institute administrative procedures that will enable the medical director to evaluate medical care to effect optimal treatment in workers' compensation cases; (2) Inquire into instances where the medical treatment or the physical rehabilitation provided appears to be deficient or incomplete and recommend corrective action when indicated; (3) Advise on the disposition of complaints of a physician's failure to furnish adequate medical care as required by this law or by rules and regulations adopted by the administrator, the disposition of complaints concerning other aspects of the medical management of a workers' compensation case or the failure to render required reports, and the disposition of complaints of any affected party as to unreasonable interference with the medical management of a workers' compensation case; (4) Gather data and maintain records necessary to fulfill the medical director's responsibilities; (5) Conduct studies and prepare and issue reports on the medical aspect of workers' compensation cases; (6) Expedite the submission and processing of medical reports necessary to the processing of claims; (7) Advise health care providers of their rights and responsibilities under this chapter and under any rules or regulations promulgated pursuant to this chapter; (8) Advise the medical care and cost containment committee as to the reasonableness of fees for medical services in particular cases; and (9) Undertake other functions that may be delegated to the medical director by the administrator.

Legislative History

Acts 1992, ch. 900, § 10; 1999, ch. 520, § 41; 2013, ch. 282, § 1.