Rounds NEWS FROM AMERICA’S BEST MEDICAL SOCIETY
cians, especially those in South Texas, to the brink of financial ruin and threatens patient’s access to care. The select com- mittee noted that then-TMA President C. Bruce Malone, MD, testified against the cuts at a November 2011 hearing, telling the Texas Health and Human Services Commission the cuts would devastate medical practices in rural, inner-city, and border communities.
Among other decisions made by the delegates were to:
• Make Smoke-Free Texas, more resi- dency slots, and restored funding for the Texas Physician Education Loan Repayment Program and the State- wide Preceptorship Program priori- ties for the 2013 session of the Texas Legislature;
Speaker Stephen L. Brotherton, MD, right, and Vice Speaker Clifford Moy, MD, preside over the TMA House of Delegates at TexMed 2012. The house later named Dr. Brotherton TMA president- elect and elevated Dr. Moy to house speaker to replace him.
• Study whether general hospitals in urban counties should have a physi- cian on site to respond to emergen- cies 24 hours per day, seven days per week;
House of Delegates urges end to reduced “dual-eligible” payments
Recommendations to help end the “dual-eligible” crisis many Texas physicians face, to set priorities for next year’s legislative session, and to improve medical edu- cation were among the issues debated and voted on at the Texas Medical Association House of Delegates meeting May 19 during TexMed 2012 in Dallas. Delegates faced one of their longest agendas in years as they considered more
than 100 resolutions and reports involving medical economics, public health, science, medical education, and association financial and organizational matters. The house adopted a report from TMA’s Select Committee on Medicaid, CHIP, and the Uninsured that recommended TMA “vigorously advocate” the repeal of reduc- tions in Medicaid payments to physicians who treat “dual-eligible” patients — those eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare. The 20-percent state budget cut that took effect Jan.1 has forced many physi-
• Support athletics-participation physi- cals for Texas schoolchildren only by licensed physicians or their appropri- ately supervised physician assistants or advanced practice nurses;
• Set policy to make the Medicare Value-Based Purchasing Program fair and financially sound;
• Adopt a new plan to help physicians who belong to inactive county medi- cal societies;
• Support efforts to prevent elective de- liveries before 39 weeks of gestation;
• Direct TMA to work to require allied health professionals to clearly display proper identification;
• Adopt a strong new policy to protect July 2012 TEXAS MEDICINE 11
PHOTOS BY JIM LINCOLN
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