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THE WEEKLY DOSE |
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Aug. 12, 2018 |
Vol. 7, No. 32 |
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In this Issue… |
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News and Announcements |
BCMS Circle of Friends Sponsors Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
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Blue Cross HMO Emergency Payment Review Policy Begins By Steve Levine, TMA Blue
Cross Blue and Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) will require some members to pay 100
percent of their medical bills if they go to an out-of-network emergency room
for certain non-life-threatening conditions, company officials have
confirmed. BCBSTX
announced the policy for its fully insured group and retail HMO members in
April, drawing criticism from numerous medical organizations, including the
Texas Medical Association, as well as the Texas Department of Insurance
(TDI). “We are
disappointed that Blue Cross is moving ahead with this policy,” said TMA
President Douglas Curran, MD. “Unfortunately,
even the announcement of this plan has already planted a seed in patients’
minds that they’ll be left with a big bill if they go to the emergency room
for the ‘wrong reason.’ We
encourage TDI to join us in monitoring this closely to make sure no patients
are denied necessary care.” For local discussion
on this and other legislative advocacy topics, consider joining the BCMS
Legislative and Socioeconomics Committee by contacting Mary Nava, chief
government affairs officer at mary.nava@bcms.org. |
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BCMS members are encouraged to enroll in the Texas
Vaccines for Children (TVFC) program. By enrolling in TVFC, eligible providers can provide
innumerable benefits to the families in their practice, and to the people of
Bexar County. One of the most important benefits is removing barriers to
immunizations. For instance, providers will no longer have to refer an
uninsured child to a public health center for immunizations. TVFC removes the
burden of the financial cost of vaccines, thereby eliminating the need to
refer clients. Children are then kept in their "medical home,"
which is beneficial to the provider and client. Families who are currently
paying for vaccinations may be TVFC eligible. TVFC does not tell enrolled providers whom they must
see or dictate that they accept Medicaid clients. Providers continue to serve
the same populations they have always served. Except now, through enrollment
in the TVFC, more children will be receiving their complete series of
immunizations. This benefits everyone by maintaining a higher level of
immunity in our community. TVFC automatically offers all vaccines recommended
by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and approved by
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For more information call 800-252-9152 or email mailto:TVFCenrollment@dshs.texas.gov. |
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Be sure and check out the Medical Classifieds section on the
BCMS web page. |
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Thank you to our BCMS Circle of Friends sponsors! 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 © 2018 Bexar County
Medical Society, San Antonio, Texas. All rights reserved. |
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