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program that recognizes and financially rewards participating physicians for de- livering superior care. The program em- phasizes managing patients with chronic conditions and offers physicians recogni- tion in more than a dozen different areas, including diabetes, cardiac care, hyper- tension, depression, and spine care. Texas physicians in the Blue Cross and


Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) network earn BTE bonuses for meeting evidence- based, clinical performance standards for care quality in diabetes and cardiac care. In mid-2012, Aetna began offering the BTE Diabetes Care Recognition Program for physicians who treat members of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Whereas some payer programs rely solely on claims data to issue quality ratings on physicians, TMA’s Health Care Quality Council found that BTE uses standardized sets of measures and crite- ria to analyze quality of care.


BTE draws those measures from na-


tionally recognized organizations, in- cluding the National Quality Forum, the American Medical Association, the Phy- sician Quality Reporting Initiative, the National Committee for Quality Assur- ance, AQA alliance, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Also, a panel of primary care physicians and specialists help develop each program. To test the program and its potential benefits, TMA began a Diabetes Report- ing Pilot Program in 2011, with 48 TMA member physicians in 17 practices in family medicine, endocrinology, and internal medicine. They saw poten- tial earnings of $3,950 on average and $189,363 as a group for the initial sub- mission of their quality data to both the diabetes and cardiac programs. Council members believe BTE will help practices evaluate the quality of care they provide in a scientifically valid


manner that will prepare them for future payment models. For more information on BTE, visit the TMA website at www.texmed.org/ BTE.aspx, or contact the TMA Knowl- edge Center at (800) 880-7955 or at knowledge@texmed.org. TMA also offers educational resources on and tools to enroll in other perfor- mance improvement programs, such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Physician Quality Reporting System, at www.texmed.org/Performan- ceImprovementPrograms/, or through the TMA Knowledge Center. For other tools TMA developed to help physicians implement quality mea- sures in their practices, log on to www .texmed.org/clinicalqualitytools. n


Amy Lynn Sorrel is an associate editor of Texas Medicine. You can reach her by telephone at (800) 880-1300, ext. 1392, or (512) 370-1392; by fax at (512) 370-1629; or by email at amy.sorrel@texmed.org.


What’s the big deal about Tort Reform? Physicians made it happen!


2013 is the 10th anniversary of Prop 12. Look what this tort reform measure has accomplished for Texas:


• An average 46.24-percent reduction in physicians’ liability premiums (cuts and dividends) — $1.9 billion total


• A record 3,630 new doctors licensed in 2012 • 28,000 new physicians licensed since Sept. 1, 2003 • Fewer frivolous lawsuits — doctors have more time for patients • 88 percent more new physician license applications in the past four years than in the four years before reform


• More high-risk specialists (growth rate more than twice the population’s)


• More pediatric subspecialists (growth rate 10 times the population’s) • More than double the number of geriatricians


Together we can make more good things happen. Go to www.texpac.org to get involved.


Texas Medical Association Political Action Committee (TEXPAC) is a bi-partisan political action committee of TMA and affiliated with the American Medical Association Political Action Committee (AMPAC) for congressional contribution purposes only. Its goal is to support and elect pro-medicine candidates on both the federal and state level. Voluntary contributions by individuals to TEXPAC should be written on personal checks. Any corporate funds or funds attributed to individuals or professional association (PAs) that would exceed legal contribution limits will be placed in the TEXPAC administrative account to support political education activities unless a refund is requested. Federal Election Law prohibits TEXPAC from soliciting donations from persons who are not either TMA members or TMA Executive/Administrative personnel and their families. All donations received other than from these persons will be returned. Contributions are not limited to the suggested amounts. TEXPAC will not fa- vor or disadvantage anyone based on the amounts or failure to make contributions. Contributions are subject to the prohibitions and limitations of the Federal Election Campaign Act. Contributions or gifts to TEXPAC or any CMS PAC are not deductible as charitable contributions or business expenses for Federal income tax purposes. Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation, and name of employer of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 in a calendar year. To satisfy this regulation, please include your occupation and employer information in the space provided. Contributions from a practice business account must disclose the name of the practice and the allocation of contributions for each contributing owner. Should you have any questions, please call TEXPAC at (512) 370-1361.


64 TEXAS MEDICINE April 2013


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