WA HB2218

Employers must inform injured workers of their right to choose their own medical provider and are prohibited from requiring or inducing workers to seek treatment from a specific provider or clinic, with violations subject to penalties under RCW 51.28.025(2) or constituting a per se violation of RCW 51.14.180 for self-insured employers

Workers unable to find a provider within the medical network within 15 miles of their home may seek treatment from a nonnetwork provider after signing a declaration certifying this fact, with the department or self-insured employer required to pay for such treatment

Utilization review for treatment approval must be completed within 10 business days of the department receiving a request, or the treatment must be authorized

Network providers must follow the department's evidence-based treatment guidelines "when medically appropriate as determined by the provider," shifting discretion from mandatory compliance to provider judgment

For accepted cancer diagnoses, the department or self-insured employer must continue paying for monitoring at the frequency recommended by the treating oncologist, including all necessary diagnostic studies and medical consultations