AG Ends Probe into Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas Physician Rating Program
from The Dallas Morning News, April 11, 2009
The Texas Attorney General's office said it has ended a probe into a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas' physician rating program and reached an agreement with the insurer to stop ranking physicians using claims data. Attorney General Gregg Abbott also resolved an investigation into Blue Cross' handling of out-of-network referrals. According to state investigators, Blue Cross had threatened to terminate physicians solely on the basis of referring patients to qualified specialists that were outside the Blue Cross provider network. More

Hospital Admissions are Down – ER Doctors are Fired
from The Medical Quack, April 8, 2009
Is there pressure on the ER physicians to admit more patients? Every business, hospitals included, knows what their bottom line is today; in other words the bare necessities to pay the bills and keep the doors open without going into the red. More

Bills Would Protect Patients from Canceled Health Insurance
from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, April 10, 2009
A trip to a dermatologist cost Robin Beaton her health insurance. Two days before the Waxahachie woman was scheduled to have a double mastectomy, she got a phone call from her insurance company. "My chart had been red-flagged," said Beaton, 58. "When I went to the dermatologist he put down a word that meant pre-cancerous. He was the reason I got my insurance canceled." Now the state Legislature is looking at the issue. The Texas Medical Association is calling for more transparency so patients have a better understanding about their coverage and insurers’ cancellation practices. More

Billions of Border Dollars in Danger Due to HMO
from Ron Whitlock Reports, April 12, 2009
In this video report, Ron Whitlock discusses the elimination on the moratorium that currently exists on managed health care, an HMO existing along the border from Brownsville to Del Rio. This legislative reversal would lead to many job cuts along the border and the loss of billions of dollars being pumped into the local economy. In addition to in-studio guests, Whitlock traveled to Austin to get the response of members of the legislature. More

Texas Medical Board’s Powers Would Be Substantially Curbed If Law Passes
from The Austin American-Statesman, April 14, 2009
The Texas Medical Board, which licenses and disciplines doctors in Texas, would have its powers substantially curtailed if a bill a House committee is considering becomes law. The state’s largest doctors’ organization, the Texas Medical Association, opposes the bill. “TMA does and will continue to support a strong and fair medical board to work on behalf of patients,” spokesman Brent Annear wrote in an e-mail. More

Proposed Statewide Smoking Ban Debated
from El Paso Times, April 14, 2009
Doctors said banning smoking in public places would make Texans healthier, but some smoke shop and bar owners told lawmakers Tuesday that such a prohibition would harm their businesses. The Senate Health and Human Services Committee heard hours of testimony from proponents and opponents of a proposal by state Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, that would implement a statewide smoking ban. More

The Facts of Life: Sex Education Goes to the Doctor’s Office
from The Houston Chronicle, April 13, 2009
As Texas schools continue following an abstinence-is-best approach to sex education, Houston gynecologists say more mothers are asking them to have “the talk” with their young daughters. These are the conversations that establish an early doctor-patient relationship, building trust with young women so they’re comfortable calling or visiting the gynecologist as they get older. “I want to meet these young women before they really, really, really need me,” said Dr. Tammy Vu, a obstetrician/gynecologist at West Houston Medical Center. More

State Cancer Funding Requires 50 Percent Match; Scientists Unsure How to Raise Money
from The Dallas Morning News, April 11, 2009
In 2007, Texans voted to give their scientists as much as $3 billion over 10 years to conduct groundbreaking cancer research. The money is supposed to start flowing to researchers this fall. But scientists say the cancer research initiative may face a major roadblock: Not one penny can be distributed unless researchers can also come up with large sums from a different source. More

State Legislature: Senate Oks New Drunk Driving Laws
from The Southlake Times, April 8, 2009
Two measures aimed at reducing drunk-driving fatalities gained Senate approval last week, along with a bill aimed at helping abused and neglected children and providing better support for individuals aging out of the foster system. Senate Bill 261, authored by Sen. Bob Deuell (R-Greenville), would create more instances where a breathalyzer or blood test could be required without a court order. More

UT Southwestern Poised to Take Over Seton Doctor Training
from The Austin American-Statesman, April 9, 2009
University of Texas and hospital officials said Wednesday that they expect the state's premier medical school to take over a doctor training program at the Seton Family of Hospitals, which they say will boost efforts to bring a medical school to the Austin area. More