Texas Docs Endorse Perry
from The Austin American-Statesman Postcards Blog, Nov. 2, 2009
The Texas Medical Association’s political arm, TEXPAC, has announced its endorsement of Gov. Rick Perry’s re-election campaign. The group selected Perry because of his “unwavering support and defense of Texas’ medical liability reforms and his efforts to protect the sacred patient-physician bond,” said Dr. William Fleming III, president of the association. More

Opinion: Worst Bill Ever
from The Wall Street Journal, Nov. 1, 2009
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has reportedly told fellow Democrats that she's prepared to lose seats in 2010 if that's what it takes to pass ObamaCare, and little wonder. The health bill she unwrapped last Thursday, which President Obama hailed as a "critical milestone," may well be the worst piece of post-New Deal legislation ever introduced. More

Gov. Perry Plans to Wait and See on Opting Out of Federal Health Plan's Public Option
from The Dallas Morning News, Nov. 3, 2009
Gov. Rick Perry, who has heaped criticism on health care legislation in Congress, said Monday that he will wait to see what a federal health plan looks like before determining whether Texas should "opt out" of a government-run insurance choice. More

Local Companies Express Concern About Health Care Legislation
from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Nov. 2, 2009
Healthcare leaders in North Texas said healthcare legislation in Congress could hurt their businesses and cost consumers money - but many also said changes are needed to address the millions of uninsured Texans, growing healthcare costs and low reimbursement rates by the government. More

Dallas Area Sees Significant Growth in Clinical Trials
from The Dallas Morning News, Nov. 3, 2009
Testing a new drug on patients used to be done at universities, which could count on hundreds of millions of dollars a year to conduct the trials. But as pharmaceutical companies look to cut costs and get drugs to market quicker, outsourcing to other companies is an increasingly popular option. The change is gaining importance in North Texas, because the Dallas-Fort Worth area is becoming a hot spot for clinical trials. More

Opinion: Don't Risk Doctor Access and Choice
from Politico, Nov. 2, 2009
As Congress nears its end-of-year deadline to pass health-reform legislation, our elected officials need to look past politics to America’s patients. The American Medical Association is committed to health reform that makes the system better for patients and physicians, and fixing the Medicare physician payment formula is critical to comprehensive health reform. In order to move forward with new obligations, Congress must fulfill existing obligations to assure sustainability in the future. More

South Texas Hospital Group Reaches $27.5 Million Settlement with Feds
from The Rio Grande Guardian, Oct. 30, 2009
A subsidiary of Universal Health Services in South Texas has agreed to pay $27.5 million to settle allegations that it paid illegal compensation to doctors to refer patients to hospitals within its group, Reuters is reporting. Allen Hospitals L.P., doing business as South Texas Health System settled claims made by the U.S. Department of Justice that it violated the False Claims Act, the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Statute between 1999 and 2006 by paying illegal compensation to doctors in order to induce them to refer patients to hospitals within the group. More

Health Care Premiums Also Used for Lavish Salaries, Luxury Items, Underwriters
from ABC News, Nov. 3, 2009
A significant portion of health insurance premiums go not for actual medical care but for private jets, generous CEO salaries and underwriters who decide when to drop patients who become too expensive, according to a Senate committee report. More

CareNow Apologizes to Muslim Job Applicant
from The Dallas Business Journal, Nov. 2, 2009
CareNow, a medical group that operates 22 facilities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, has apologized to a Muslim job applicant who was told a "no hat" policy would make it impossible for her to wear her hijab at work. The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations said that Coppell-based CareNow has apologized to the applicant and added that it will clarify its policies to ensure employees are aware of what religious accommodations to make for employees. More

Opinion: Electronic Medical Records Critical to Better Health Care
from The Fort Worth Business Press, Nov. 2, 2009
When Dr. Henry Plummer developed the concept of the "unit record" nearly 100 years ago, his idea was to place all of a patient's records in a single file that traveled with the patient and could be stored in a central repository. His concept of medical care continuity quickly became the standard for medical record keeping worldwide. More

More H1N1 Vaccines Headed to Texas
from The Kilgore News Herald, Oct. 30, 2009
H1N1 flu vaccines are starting to trickle into East Texas, but trickle is still the operative word. Michelle Skyrme, Gregg County Health Department official, reports they have now received 400 doses of the H1N1 vaccine available to the public, but only to those meeting certain criteria. More

Williams Awarded for Keeping Up Tort Reform Fight in Texas Legislature
from The Southeast Texas Record, Nov. 4, 2009
During the last legislative session in Austin, several bills threatened to undo the tort reforms passed in Texas only a few years ago. But none of those bills passed, and a Southeast Texas lawmaker was recently recognized for his part in keeping the legislation from becoming law. More

Medical, Nursing Schools Teaching Alternative Care
from The Associated Press via MSNBC, Nov. 4, 2009
Future doctors and nurses are learning about acupuncture and herbs along with anatomy and physiology at a growing number of medical schools. It's another example of how alternative medicine has become mainstream. And it's often done with Uncle Sam's help. "Patients are using these things" whether doctors think they should or should not, and safety is a big concern, said Dr. Victor Sierpina, an acupuncturist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston who heads a group of academics who favor such training. More

Poll: 47 Percent of Americans Unlikely to Get Swine Flu Vaccine
from The Associated Press via The Dallas Morning News, Nov. 4, 2009
Despite a rising toll of sickness caused by swine flu and a push by the government to have people vaccinated for it, almost half of Americans say they aren't likely to get the vaccine, according to a new McClatchy-Ipsos poll. More

Senate Likely to Delay Action on Health Care Bill
from The Dallas Morning News, Nov. 4, 2009
Moderate lawmakers are exerting their outsize influence in the divided Senate to secure changes to health care legislation, potentially adding more delays to a bill that has already missed several announced deadlines. A dozen or so moderate Democrats are emerging as pivotal to the fate of the health care measure, beginning with the procedural vote that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada must win to launch the historic debate. More