“The evidence at this point would not necessitate them making a recommenda- tion that cardiac screening be a manda- tory part of the physical at this time,” he said.
According to the report, the Texas
Disciplinary actions by state medical boards rise 6.8 percent in 2011
Chiropractors shelve acupuncture rule
The Texas Board of Chiropractic Examin- ers in late May withdrew a proposed rule that would have allowed chiropractors to claim they are specialists in acupunc- ture after 300 hours of training. The proposed rule drew harsh criti-
cism from acupuncturists, who in Texas must receive at least 1,350 hours of training, much of it in a clinical setting with patients. Opponents of the rule crowded a
hearing on the issue before the chiro- practic board on May 24. A petition reportedly containing more than 2,000 signatures also was submitted in opposi- tion to the rule. Texas chiropractors can be certified
to perform acupuncture on patients if they have had at least 100 hours of training. But opponents to creating a specialty designation for chiropractors with 300 hours of acupuncture training complained that those requirements are far short of the training acupuncturists receive and include no requirement that chiropractors train in clinical settings. The Texas State Board of Acupuncture Examiners also complained in a letter to the chiropractic board that the pro- posed rule would undermine its licens- ing standards, confuse the public by put- ting chiropractors on equal footing with acupuncturists, and potentially endanger patients. The chiropractic board has said it will
meet with acupuncturists to craft a new rule.
The Texas Medical Association did not comment on the proposed rule.
State medical board disciplinary actions against physicians increased 6.8 percent in 2011, and 4.9 percent more doctors had their medical licenses or license privileges revoked or suspended, accord- ing to a new report from the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB). The FSMB’s Summary of 2011 Board
Actions compiled disciplinary actions taken by the federation’s 70-member medical and osteopathic boards from the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. territories. The boards recorded a total of 6,034 disciplinary actions in 2011, as com- pared with 5,652 in 2010.
Medical Board (TMB) took 707 disci- plinary actions in 2011, compared with 648 in 2010. TMB revoked the license or privileges of 87 physicians in 2011, com- pared with 81 the previous year. And, 119 Texas physicians had their license or licensed privileges restricted. That was up from 100 in 2010. The national increase in total serious
actions could be traced in part to the Florida Board of Medicine, whose total disciplinary actions increased 54.4 per- cent to 332 from 215. This figure includ- ed a 51.6-percent increase in revocation of medical licenses to 144 from 95. n
Ken Ortolon is senior editor of Texas Medicine. You can reach him by telephone at (800) 880-1300, ext. 1392, or (512) 370-1392; by fax at (512) 370-1629; or by email at
ken.ortolon@texmed.org.
Online Lab Results.
Online access to DSHS Laboratory results and Newborn Screening Remote Data Services is now available to all Texas Health Steps medical providers. Online lab and newborn screening results will help you minimize common errors related to specimen collection, reduce the need for re-collection and re-testing, and cut the waiting time for results.
To access these services, visit
www.dshs.state.tx.us/lab/remoteData.shtm
Taking New Steps July 2012 TEXAS MEDICINE 45
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