Blogged Arteries

Asserting that there is “no compelling justification” to do so, TMA, the American Medical Association, and 88 other medical organizations urged the U.S. Treasury Department not to change the tax code to allow trial attorneys to deduct litigation expenses from their taxes in certain cases.

The Texas Department of State Health Services, Texas Diabetes Council, and the Central Texas Diabetes Coalition have developed two free resources to help physicians and health care providers provide optimal care to patients with diabetes.

Starting Jan. 1, Medicare will add evidence-based tobacco cessation counseling to the list of covered services.

Cancer care has become big business. The National Institute of Health in 2009 estimated that the 2008 cost of cancer care was $228.1 billion. Of this, only $93.2 billion was due to direct medical costs; $18.8 billion was due to lost productivity of the patient because of illness; and $116.1 billion was due to lost productivity secondary to premature death. Multiple government and payer initiatives are focused on reducing the costs of cancer care.

In the September issue of Texas Medicine, a special symposium issue on cancer.

Want to improve health care in America? Want to be a catalyst for change? Want to help elect politicians who will put patients and physicians first? Participate in the upcoming TEXPAC Alliance Volunteer Days.

Several provisions of the new health system reform law take effect Sept. 23.

TMA’s Be Wise — Immunize^SM program is launching a new initiative to encourage health care workers to get immunized against the flu.

Tort reforms that TMA and its allies worked so hard to achieve in 2003 continue to pay off for physicians as the Texas Medical Liability Trust (TMLT) cut liability insurance premiums by 1 percent, effective Jan. 1, and announced a 24–percent dividend for renewing TMLT policyholders.

The health system reform law establishes a new breed of health care delivery system called accountable care organizations (ACO). Be wary and be informed. TMA strongly suggests that you take the time to learn about these systems, and understand their differences and what they could mean to your practice and your patients, before you sign any agreements.

TMA won another round in its ongoing effort to protect the safety of patients in mid-August when an Austin district judge said he intends to limit chiropractors' right to diagnose medical conditions.

If you're confused about the new health system reform law and its many new provisions, you're not alone. That's why the Texas Medical Association will host its second Tele-Health Reform School next month.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning physicians not to use unapproved intrauterine devices (IUD) and intrauterine systems (IUS) or face the possibility of going to jail.

Physicians interested in the 2010 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) and Electronic Prescribing Incentive (eRx) programs can ask questions and learn how to join during a conference call from 2 to 3 pm CDT on Tuesday, Aug. 17.

Texas will gain about $850 million in federal money for Medicaid, thanks to congressional approval of legislation extending enhanced matching federal Medicaid payments through mid-2011. The U.S. House of Representatives joined the Senate in approving the bill Aug. 10.

It's final. The Texas State Board of Podiatric Medical Examiners cannot go beyond its statutory authority and the will of the Texas Legislature.

The TMA Patient Safety and Medical Errors continuing medical education (CME) course has been revised and reposted on the TMA website.

CIGNA says it will soon make public the results of its annual evaluation of physician quality and cost efficiency. Almost 20,000 physicians in Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Austin will be rated.

A new law requires pain management clinics to be certified by the Texas Medical Board (TMB). The Texas Medical Association supported Senate Bill 911, which directs TMB to adopt rules to ensure quality of patient care and to set personnel requirements at pain management clinics. The new law also gives TMB authority to inspect pain management clinics, or entities believed to be pain management clinics, to determine whether they're operating legally.

With nearly 70 Texas hospitals with some type of physician investment, the state is a national leader in the physician-owned hospital industry. And, members of that industry say it has been good for patients. But the health system reform law Congress passed earlier this year slams the door on new physician-owned hospitals by prohibiting them from obtaining a Medicare provider number.

From August's Texas Medicine.

An increasing number of medical graduates in the country, particularly in Texas, are finding it hard to match to a residency program in their preferred specialty. While medical educators say there are various reasons for that, almost all point to a growing imbalance in the ratio of medical graduates to residency slots. That imbalance is particularly apparent in Texas, where the state offered fewer first-year residency positions in 2010 than it had medical graduates.

From August's Texas Medicine.

Physicians hoped the health system reform law would eliminate the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula that drives down Medicare fees. The SGR, however, remains in place, and the law created a new board, the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), with the authority to cut fees even further, possibly on top of cuts under the SGR.

From August's Texas Medicine.

State law should require insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to post accurate and complete drug formularies online that physicians can access when prescribing medications for patients, the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) recommends in a report to state officials and legislative leaders.

An American Medical Association survey shows an average of 95 medical liability claims filed for every 100 physicians in the U.S. That's almost one per physician and demonstrates the need for the rest of the country to adopt liability reform like Texas did.