ter critical comments from TMA and other stakeholders, TMB chose not to adopt the rule amendments. While the sunset commission’s
report failed to address TMB’s disci- plinary process, it does include these findings:
• Statutory licensing provisions and board procedures do not follow model licensing practices, present- ing unnecessary hurdles to appli- cants and reducing the efficiency of medical board operations.
• The process for authorizing quali- fied physicians from other states to practice in Texas is not streamlined.
• The medical board’s pain manage- ment clinic inspection program does not follow best practices to make efficient use of the board’s limited investigatory resources.
• Limited medical radiologic tech- nologist certification is unduly complicated and creates adminis- trative inefficiencies.
• The unclear relationship between the Texas Physician Health Pro- gram and TMB contributes to orga- nizational instability.
• The state has a continuing need to regulate the practice of medicine and the allied health professions housed at the medical board. That means the sunset staff is recom- mending another 12 years of life for TMB.
At the Dec. 9, 2016, Sunset Advisory Commission public hearing on TMB, Ray Callas, MD, chair of TMA’s Coun- cil on Legislation, testified on the need to address the board’s disciplinary in- vestigations of physicians. “The board should be required to share with the physician complete copies of each of the expert reports with all identi- fiers of the expert reviewer, except specialty, redacted.” He also testified the board should be granted greater leeway to impose a remedial plan for minor
administrative or technical
violations of the Medical Practice Act that do not involve allegations of sub-
standard care or patient harm. “Right now, a physician is allowed a lifetime maximum of one remedial plan. We believe that restriction should be lifted and left to the board’s discretion for these minor administrative viola- tions,” he said. During his testimony, Dr. Cal-
las addressed the issue of mandat- ing checks of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). Dur- ing the 2015 legislative session, TMA worked for the passage of Senate Bill 195 by Sen. Charles Schwertner, MD (R-Georgetown). SB 195 moved the PDMP from the Texas Department of Public Safety to the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. While the PDMP “ap- pears to be running on a robust plat- form” and is easier to use, Dr. Callas said the technology should be used in a “meaningful and practical way.” “We do want to work with you [sun- set commission] to make sure that we are harnessing this new technology … in a way that helps physicians provide better care for our patients. I do want us to be mindful of imposing addition- al burdens on physicians and patients and the special needs of patients in emergency situations, those suffering through cancer treatment, and those dealing with pain management in end of life care,” he said.
TMA, specialties lay out legislative priorities
THE BEST FEATURE of TMA’s biennial Advocacy Retreat is the opportunity for TMA and nearly two dozen state specialty societies to stand in front of their peers and explain their key is- sues for the this session of the Texas Legislature. In December, Texas phy- sician leaders spent several hours in a conversation about how to address priorities, recognizing some of the unique patient care needs of the spe- cialty societies. “The one thing we definitely need is not to have splinter-
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