The U.S. Department of Labor's medical authorization and bill payment unit, ACS, implemented a uniform process for authorizing general medical and surgical procedures, therapy requests, and the purchase or rental of medical equipment effective January 3, 2005.

Physicians should request authorization for these services and products through the ACS website at http://owcp.dol.acs-inc.com. However, if they do not have internet access, they can fax their requests to 1-800-215-4901.

Once a procedure is authorized, a related bill may be submitted to ACS. If the procedure was not authorized prior to being performed, the health care provider may still request authorization for this procedure. Once the procedure is approved, the health care provider may then submit their coinciding bill to ACS for payment.

If you have any questions concerning these matters, you may call ACS at 1-866-335-8319.