to “enact a permanent solution” to the SGR.
Nacogdoches ophthalmologist Lyle Thorstenson, MD, the chair of the Texas Delegation to the AMA, says unity with- in the family of medicine is critical. “We are in a battle for our livelihood,”
Dr. Thorstenson said. “The constant bat- tles over the injustice of the SGR have left us weary and fatigued. Now, more than ever, petty differences must vanish.”
Other issues merit action Delegates addressed various other leg- islative, economic, public health, and medical education topics. The house:
• Directed AMA to once again sup- port delaying or canceling the Oct. 1, 2014, implementation of ICD-10. Delegates also called on the federal government to help physician practic- es overcome the financial burden as- sociated with ICD-10 implementation, including computer and software up- grades and staff training.
• Told the AMA Board of Trustees to revise two proposed sets of policy on supervising nonphysician practi- tioners. Both policies included the term “collaboration,” which caused significant consternation among the delegates. “Too many people want to do what we do without having done what we’ve done,” said Gary Floyd, MD, of Fort Worth.
• Called on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to repeal the “two- midnight rule” for hospital in-patient admissions, including the require- ment for physicians to certify an esti- mated length-of-stay on admission.
• Said health plans should be required to notify physicians that a patient is in the 90-day grace period for a sub- sidized Affordable Care Act exchange plan when the physician checks on the patient’s eligibility for services.
• Directed AMA to study the effect of growth in graduate medical educa- tion match participants against the stagnant numbers of U.S. residency positions.
• Called for “urgent efforts” to help patients who have been notified that their existing insurance plans will be
10 TEXAS MEDICINE January 2014
canceled to maintain coverage while facilitating a smooth transition to al- ternative coverage options.
• Adopted payment guidelines for team-based care. Physicians who lead team-based care in their practices should receive payments for health care services provided by the team and establish payment disbursement mechanisms that foster physician-led team-based care.
Texans in action at meeting Fort Worth’s Larry Reaves, MD, served as chair and Arlo Weltge, MD, of Houston, served as a member of the Reference Committee on Amendments to the AMA Constitution and Bylaws. Melissa Garret- son, MD, of Weatherford, was the chief teller, and Brad Butler, MD, of Longview, was a teller. The late Will Bradley, MD, of Mansfield, served on the Committee on Rules and Credentials. A pair of Texas medical students won election as new Region 3 representatives to the AMA Medical Student Section. Ra- ghuveer Puttagunta from Baylor College of Medicine is a new Region 3 delegate, and Ben Karfunkle from The University of Texas Medical School at Houston is an alternate delegate.
The delegation said goodbye to Caro- lyn Evans, MD, of Dallas, and C. Bruce Malone, MD, of Austin, for whom the Washington meeting was the last. Drs. Evans and Malone served a combined 39 years on the Texas Delegation to the AMA.
In addition to Dr. Bailey, numerous
Texans hold official AMA positions. They include Drs. Joseph P. Annis, of Austin (Board of Trustees), Stephen L. Brother- ton, of Fort Worth (Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs), Lynne Kirk, of Dal- las (Council on Medical Education), Rus- sell Kridel, of Houston (chair of Council on Science and Public Health), Clifford Moy, of Dallas (vice chair of Council on Long Range Planning and Development), and Dr. Thorstenson (AMPAC Board). David Savage, of Houston, is speaker of the AMA Medical Student Section, and Amy Ho, of Dallas, is the student mem- ber on the AMPAC Board. At the conclusion of the Washington meeting, TMA announced that Dr. Kridel
will run for the AMA Board of Trustees in June, and Asa Lockhart, MD, of Tyler, will seek a seat on the AMA Council on Medical Service.
AMA honors two outstanding Texans
Two stalwart members of the Texas fam- ily of medicine were honored at the AMA House of Delegates meeting. Houston trauma surgeon Ken Mattox,
MD, received the 2013 AMA Benjamin Rush Award for Citizenship and Commu- nity Service. The award is given “for out- standing contributions to the community for citizenship and public service above and beyond the call of duty as a prac- ticing physician.” Dr. Mattox was recog- nized for his service in Houston’s medi- cal response to several natural disasters, including hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 and Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. As part of the Katrina Joint Unified Com- mand, Dr. Mattox helped form an “evac-
American Medical Association President Ardis Dee Hoven, MD, left, presented Houston trauma surgeon Kenneth Mattox, MD, with the 2013 AMA Benjamin Rush Award for Citizenship and Community Service at the AMA meeting in November. Dr. Mattox was honored for his service in Houston’s medical response to several natural disasters, including hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 and Tropical Storm Allison in 2001.
TED GRUDZINSKI
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60