HB 2279 – Legislative Alert

April 7th, 2009 § 4

The Imaging Alliance is a growing coalition of physicians, medical societies, and individuals joined together to support your patients’ rights and access to quality medical imaging in Texas. The Imaging Alliance supports and defends physicians practicing direct patient care with responsible utilization of diagnostic imaging services. The Imaging Alliance is concerned about HB 2279 and the possibility that HB 2279 will have a negative impact on your patients’ right to direct access of imaging services by their physicians.

HB 2279 will be heard in the House Public Health Committee on April 7, 2009. The Imaging Alliance is concerned about HB 2279 because:

(1) it may be interpreted to require a physician to “directly supervise” the imaging, which is not how imaging is done in Texas today;
(2) it will to require information that is not collected or published by imaging physicians in Texas today; and,
(3) it will require the publishing of component costs of imaging on billing that is not done by imaging physicians in Texas today.

Each of these changes alone or together will have one impact on imaging in Texas: it will make it more expensive and less accessible.

This bill is brought forth by the radiologists in their desire to prevent other physicians from treating and imaging their patients. For example, the radiologists would prefer that your Cardiologist not be allowed to perform the imaging of your heart, or your Neurologist not be allowed to perform the imaging of your brain and spinal cord. This is a turf battle within the physician community, and instead of allowing the medical standard of care and market pressure handle this issue, the radiologists would rather come to the Legislature and ask for you to intervene in their turf battle.

In addition, HB 2297 creates excessive penalties against physicians: revocation and/or suspension of their medical license. This legislation will not improve your patients’ access to imaging services and will not improve the quality of imaging services your patients receive. HB 2279 will increase the costs of imaging services and will decrease the access to imaging services for your patients.

Members of the Imaging Alliance:Texas Chapter American College of Cardiology; Texas Society for Gastroenterology and Endoscopy, Texas Urological Society, Texas Neurological Society; Texas Association for Neurological Surgeons, Texas Orthopaedic Association and Texas Ophthmalogical Association.

Please do not hesitate to contact Jaime Capelo, lobbyist for the Texas Chapter of the American College of Cardiologists, directly to get more information prior. Mr. Capelo can be reached at (512) 469-9898 or at jc@capelolaw.com.

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