Ohio Revised Code|Section 4121.32 | Supplementing rules with operating manuals.

                                                
(A) The rules covering operating procedure and  criteria for decision-making that the administrator of workers'  compensation and the industrial commission are required to adopt  pursuant to section 4121.31 of the Revised Code shall be  supplemented with operating manuals setting forth the procedural  steps in detail for performing each of the assigned tasks of each  section of the bureau of workers' compensation and commission. The  administrator and commission jointly shall adopt such manuals. No  employee may deviate from manual procedures without authorization  of the section chief. 
(B) Manuals shall set forth the procedure for the assignment  and transfer of claims within sections and be designed to provide  performance objectives and may require employees to record  sufficient data to reasonably measure the efficiency of functions  in all sections. The bureau shall perform periodic  cost-effectiveness analyses that shall be made available to the  general assembly, the governor, and to the public during normal  working hours.
(C) The bureau and commission jointly shall develop, adopt,  and use a policy manual setting forth the guidelines and bases for  decision-making for any decision which is the responsibility of  the bureau, district hearing officers, staff hearing officers, or  the commission. Guidelines shall be set forth in the policy manual  by the bureau and commission to the extent of their respective  jurisdictions for deciding at least the following specific  matters:
(1) Reasonable ambulance services;
(2) Relationship of drugs to injury;
(3) Awarding lump-sum advances for creditors;
(4) Awarding lump-sum advances for attorney's fees;
(5) Placing a claimant into rehabilitation;
(6) Transferring costs of a claim from employer costs to the  statutory surplus fund pursuant to section 4123.343 of the Revised  Code;
(7) Utilization of physician specialist reports;
(8) Determining the percentage of permanent partial  disability, temporary partial disability, temporary total  disability, violations of specific safety requirements, an award  under division (B) of section 4123.57 of the Revised Code, and  permanent total disability.
(D) The bureau shall establish, adopt, and implement policy  guidelines and bases for decisions involving reimbursement issues  including, but not limited to, the adjustment of invoices, the  reduction of payments for future services when an internal audit  concludes that a health care provider was overpaid or improperly  paid for past services, reimbursement fees, or other adjustments  to payments. These policy guidelines and bases for decisions, and  any changes to the guidelines and bases, shall be set forth in a  reimbursement manual and provider bulletins.
Neither the policy guidelines nor the bases set forth in the  reimbursement manual or provider bulletins referred to in this  division is a rule as defined in section 119.01 of the Revised  Code.
(E) With respect to any determination of disability under  Chapter 4123. of the Revised Code, when the physician makes a  determination based upon statements or information furnished by  the claimant or upon subjective evidence, the physician shall  clearly indicate this fact in the physician's report.
(F) The administrator shall publish the manuals and make  copies of all manuals available to interested parties at cost.