Oppose SB 1461 and HB 2599

April 7th, 2009 § 2

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 believes that SB 1461 and HB 2599 (identical) will have a negative impact on your patients’ right to direct access of imaging services by their physicians.

The Imaging Alliance is OPPOSED to SB 1461 and HB 2599 because they: (1) will require a duplicate registration and regulation process already performed by DSHS with regard to CT, PET and related imaging modalities, (2) will decrease the number of physicians who would be able to provide imaging services to your constituents because of the unnecessary and burdensome requirements, (3) will create a duplicative accreditation process that CMS has already indicated it will set, as have the health plans, (5) will require an significant expense to achieve accreditation of imaging equipment and personnel which will increase costs, (6) will create the unnecessary expense and administrative burden of reporting all imaging referrals, (7) will create the unnecessary expense and administrative burden of reporting percentage interest in each imaging equipment, and (8) will create harsh penalties against the physicians for these unnecessary requirements.

SB 1461/HB 2599:
1. Will not improve your patients’ access to imaging services,
2. Will only increase your patients’ costs for imaging services,
3. Will decrease the number of physicians providing imaging services and therefore decrease your patients’ access to imaging services, and
4. Will restrict your patients’ right to choose their physician for imaging services.

This bill is brought by the radiologists in their continued attempt to prevent other physicians from providing imaging services to 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/spinal cord. Instead of allowing the appropriate standard of care and market pressure to resolve this issue, the radiologists have come to the Legislature and asked for you to intervene in their turf war, again!

HB 2599 and SB 1461 represent a real threat to Texas patients and their ability to receive quality medical imaging from the physician of their choice. These measures supported by the radiologists are a continued effort to carry out a legislative agenda that was unanimously rejected by the House of Delegates of the Texas Medical Association during the interim.

Based on their past actions and current rhetoric, the radiologists will continue to seek the prohibition of imaging by all physicians except radiologists. This would lead to the unfortunate result of ending your constituents’ access to quality imaging by their cardiologist, neurologist, gastroenterologist, urologist, internist and every other physician.

Physician members of the Imaging Alliance are in Austin for the Texas Medical Association’s First Tuesday, April 7, 2009. We hope to have the opportunity to discuss this subject with each of you.
Imaging Alliance members: 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 Ophthalmological 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. Mr. Capelo can be reached at (512) 469-9898 or at jc@capelolaw.com.

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