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THE WEEKLY DOSE |
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June 4, 2017 |
Vol. 6, No. 22 |
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In this Issue… |
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Candidates For City
Elections Respond Military Health Research
Forum |
Support BCMS Circle of Friends Sponsors
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85th Legislative
Session adjourns Sine Die Last Monday, May 29 (Memorial Day), the 85th Legislative
Session came to a close. While medicine issues saw a number of wins and also
the demise of some bad bills, a special session is looming on the horizon
targeting the state agencies under Sunset, including the Texas Medical Board.
Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to make an announcement very soon as to his
plans for any further work to be done by the Legislature. At this time, several bills have already been signed into
law by Gov. Abbott and others are on his desk awaiting action. Signed
legislation includes: Billing Mediation - Senate Bill 507 by Sen. Kelly Hancock
(R-North Richland Hills) and Rep. John Frullo (R-Lubbock) which expands the
billing mediation process to all physicians and others providing
out-of-network services at certain in-network facilities; also expands
mediation to out-of-network situations for emergency care. Step Therapy - Senate Bill 680 by Sen. Hancock empowers
physicians to override health plans’ step therapy protocols. Telemedicine - Senate Bill 1107 by Sen. Charles
Schwertner, MD (R-Georgetown), establishes a statutory definition for
telemedicine and clarifies that the standard of care for a traditional,
in-person medical setting also applies to telemedicine services. In the House,
Rep. Four Price (R-Amarillo) added language making it clearer that
telemedicine is not a distinct service, but a tool physicians can use. Health
plans are prohibited from excluding telemedicine from coverage just because
the care isn’t provided in person. CPRIT - Senate Bill 224 by Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin) extends
the sunset date of the cancer research organization from 2021 to 2023, and
also adds two years to its eligibility to allocate funds, to 2022. To read more about the current status of legislation of
importance to medicine, click here. Please stay tuned to this column for more information on
the status of legislation that is signed into law or vetoed by the
Governor. Details will be provided as they become available. For local discussion on these and other legislative
advocacy topics, consider joining the BCMS Legislative and Socioeconomics
Committee by contacting Mary Nava at mary.nava@bcms.org. |
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The Bexar County
Medical Society received about a dozen responses to its candidate
questionnaire this year for the 2017 mayoral and city council races. You can check out the
responses from these candidates who are in the June 10 runoff: |
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The Texas Health and Human Services
Commission (HHSC) is conducting regional Town Halls to discuss suggested best
practices and solutions to prevent prescription drug misuse. The Town Halls
will be two to three hours in length. HHSC and local community
representatives will make remarks and then ask for public comments and
suggestions. San Antonio |
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Circle of
Friends Gold Sponsor |
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Thank you to our BCMS Circle of Friends
sponsors! This information is sent on behalf of
our sponsors but it is not an endorsement. Donations from Circle of Friends
sponsors help keep down the cost of dues and allow BCMS to continue to provide quality
service to its members. The society continues its pledge to you
and only will involve itself in services and programs that benefit you,
the member, and your patients. |
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Bexar County Medical Society 4334 N Loop 1604 W., Suite
200 San Antonio, TX 78249 210-301-4391 |
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About The Weekly Dose The
Weekly Dose is a service of the Bexar County Medical Society. Some of
the suggestions conveyed may not be applicable to your practice today, but the
goal is to offer information over time that returns value in
excess of the cost of your membership. If you
would like to recommend future topics to share with your colleagues, please
submit them to the BCMS Executive Director at steve.fitzer@bcms.org. All
rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited. Copyright
© 2017 Bexar County Medical Society, San Antonio, Texas. All
rights reserved. |
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