Call the Public Health Committee RIGHT NOW!
Thank you for calling last week. However we have to call Right Now!
The Public Health Committee will vote on HB 2599 this afternoon.
Ask each member of the Public Health Committee (listed below) to VOTE NO on HB 2599 (click to read) VOTE NO on HB 2599
This bill is NOT NECESSARY and WILL DECREASE PATIENT ACCESS TO IMAGING!
This bill is not about transparency, it is about competition. 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.
As the practice of medicine continues to evolve, and best practices moves more of the imaging into the hands of the physician specialist that examines and treats the patient, radiologists are seeing a downturn in referrals, and in response, the radiologists are seeking legislative means to protect their “economic turf.”
Every payor of healthcare services – health plans, Medicare, Medicaid – already has the authority by law and rule to deny payment of any claim for imaging services if the payor believes any physician is overutilizing.
- Every payor also may and does report any physician who they believe is overutilizing imaging to the Attorney General and/or Texas Medical Board.
- The study will not be able to show whether the imaging referral was “appropriate,” and therefore the burden and costs of the reporting will be useless.
- The increased costs of reporting, registering with the State, and accreditation of your office, equipment and personnel will increase the costs of imaging.
- Increasing the costs of imaging will decrease the number of physicians performing imaging services for Texas patients, and create an access to imaging problem for Texas patients.
- CMS and many of the health plans have already indicated that it will adopt accreditation standards for imaging standards.
- This bill is a direct attack on the decisions made by the most important partnership in health care: the patient and the physician.
PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL EACH OF THE
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
“VOTE NO on HB 2599 because it would decrease your patients’ access to imaging services, increase the costs of imaging services, and create a huge, expensive bureaucracy for the State simply because the radiologists want the State to protect their economic turf.”
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Rep. Lois W. Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) (Chair) |
Rep. Susan King (R-Abilene) |
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Rep. Elliott Naishtat (D-Austin) (Vice Chair) |
Rep. Jodie Laubenberg (R-Parker) |
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Rep. Garnet Coleman (D-Houston) |
Rep. Jim McReynolds (D-Lufkin) |
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Rep. John Davis (R-Houston) |
Rep. Vicki Truitt (R-Keller) |
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Rep. Veronica Gonzales (D-McAllen) |
Rep. John Zerwas (R-Richmond) |
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Rep. Chuck Hopson (D-Jacksonville) |
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