• Log on to
www.cps3AustinDT.com to schedule an appointment.
• After scheduling the appointment, they will receive a confirmation email with instructions to go online and complete a comprehensive sur- vey seeking detailed information on lifestyle, behavioral, and other factors related to health.
• At their appointment, they will be asked to sign an informed consent form, complete a short survey, and provide a waist measurement and a small blood sample.
• Finally, they will be asked to complete mailed surveys every few years for 20 to 30 years to update lifestyle, medi- cal, and behavioral information.
Their appointment should last 20 to 30 minutes; completing the online sur- vey before the appointment will take about 45 to 60 minutes. The CPS-3 research staff will keep all personal in- formation and results of blood analyses strictly confidential. More information about CPS-3 is available by emailing
cancer.org/cps3
or
cps3@cancer.org or by calling (888) 604-5888.
Since the 1950s, studies like this have involved hundreds of thousands of vol- unteers and led to discoveries such as the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer and the role obesity plays in the risk for several cancers. “TMA has supported the cancer com- munity for more than 20 years,” said TMA President C. Bruce Malone, MD. He urged physicians to encourage their patients to enroll in this study. “It will allow us to explore new and emerging hypotheses related to cancer. With your help, we can work toward eliminating cancer as a major health concern for fu- ture Texans,” he said.
Newsmakers
Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Reginald Baptiste, MD, of Austin, to the Texas Physician Assistant Board. The board establishes and maintains standards of excellence to regulate physician assistants and ensure quality health care.
Houston ophthalmologist Keith A Bourgeois, MD, is the new presi- dent of the Harris County Medical Society. He was sworn in during ceremonies in January. At the event, internist Elizabeth Torres, MD, took office as president of the Houston Academy of Medicine.
The TMA Board of Trustees appointed Russell J. Juno III, MD, of LaGrange, to serve in the Texas Medical Association Insurance Trust (TMAIT) board position designated for a member of the associa- tion’s Young Physician Section. TMAIT elected Kimberly Carter, MD, Austin, to a final three-year term on the TMAIT Board of Trustees. In addition, Kevin P. Magee, MD, Dallas, was elected chair, and Robert A Light, MD, Houston, was elected secretary of the board.
Herminia Palacio, MD, was appointed as a member of the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health. Dr. Palacio is the executive director of Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services.
Gov. Rick Perry appointed David A. Smith, MD, of Brownwood, to the Nursing Facility Administrators Advisory Committee. The com- mittee advises the Texas Health and Human Services Commission board on licensing and regulation of nursing facility administrators.
12 TEXAS MEDICINE March 2012
Medicaid HMO expansion: Are you ready?
On March 12, Texas will complete state- wide expansion of the Medicaid HMO model by requiring most patients liv- ing in rural and South Texas counties to obtain their health care services from physicians and providers participating in one of the Medicaid HMO networks. Patients were sent English and Span- ish versions of enrollment packets on Dec. 15. Patients were required to select an HMO and a primary care physician by Feb. 12 or be assigned to an HMO and/or primary care provider (PCP) by the state’s enrollment broker, Maximus. Patients who are assigned to a plan and/ or PCP can subsequently change it. Practices that haven’t done so already should inform their patients about the Medicaid HMOs with which they are contracted (by posting a sign in the waiting room, sending patients a letter, or the like); however, physicians should not steer patients to a particular plan. If a contracted physician is not listed in the HMO’s provider directory, the patient can still select the physician as his or her PCP so long as Maximus has the information on file. To ensure that your practice location and contact infor- mation is listed accurately in the HMO directories, check that the practice’s name, phone number, and address are accurately listed on the Texas Medicaid
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