|
|
|
|
|
|
TOA
President's Update
|
|
By David Teuscher, MD
TOA President
I need five minutes of your time to fill out a critical survey
of the on call emergency room coverage that you provide.
Please click
here to complete the survey now.
Most of us realize that the burden of providing coverage for
our local |
|
|
emergency rooms continues to grow. Declining reimbursement from the
uninsured and under-insured does not provide adequate coverage for our
overhead, especially with expenses increasing and payments from our
elective practice declining. The Texas Orthopaedic Association is
studying the issues of whether our members are being compensated for
covering trauma call at Texas hospitals. Thank you for taking the time
to let us know your situation, so we can disseminate the information to
our colleagues across the state.
On a
happy note, the bogus lawsuit that the Texas Podiatric Medical
Association and a few podiatrists filed for restraint of trade two years
ago has been dismissed as no evidence was presented. You will remember
that this suit was filed against the TMA, the TOA, past-president Dr.
Andy Kant, and me. It is a shame that we had to endure two years and
sustain significant defense fees in an action that had not a shred of
evidence, but that is the system that we must endure.
The
lawsuit filed five years ago to prevent the podiatry board from
unilaterally revising its definition of foot is awaiting a ruling from
the Texas 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin. TMA, AMA, and AAOS
have partnered with us, and for that we are grateful. If you are not
also a member of all of these organizations, please consider joining.
Lastly,
have safe travel to the AAOS Annual Meeting, and a happy return to
Texas. Hope to see you in San Diego.
[top]
[back
to e-connect archive page] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Texas
District By District: Kay Bailey Hutchison
|
|
In 1993, Texans elected Kay
Bailey Hutchison to the United States Senate in a special
election, making her the first -- and, to date, the only --
woman elected to represent the state in the Senate. One year
later, she was re-elected to a full six-year term. And in
2000, more than four million Texans voted for her
re-election to a second full term -- no other Texas
candidate has ever captured more votes. In 2006, she was
again re-elected by an overwhelming margin. She serves in
the Senate leadership, having been elected by her
colleagues to be chairman of the Republican Policy Committee
in the 110th Congress, making her the |
|
fourth-highest ranking
Republican senator.
Defense and Foreign Policy
Senator Hutchison has played a vital role in shaping
America's defense policy and fulfilling our nation's
promises to our veterans as chairman of the Appropriations
Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs
and as a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on
Defense during the 109th Congress. She introduced and passed
legislation creating an Overseas Basing Commission, which
conducted a comprehensive review of the U.S. military's
global footprint to help ensure that our Armed Forces are
prepared to meet 21st century threats.
Homeland Security
The senator worked to secure funding for an additional 1,500
Border Patrol agents to strengthen enforcement of
immigration laws. In 2004, she helped pass the National
Intelligence Reform Act, which included provisions she
authored to ensure greater screening of air cargo. That
legislation instructs the Transportation Security
Administration to establish a database of known shippers,
develop facility security plans, and mandate use of worker
identification cards.
During her term as chairman of the Commerce Committee's
Subcommittee on Aviation, she played a major role in
drafting the airline security bill passed by Congress after
the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Tax Relief and Family Support
Senator Hutchison has consistently championed tax relief for
working families. In recent years, she has led the fight to
provide relief from the marriage income tax penalty and to
reestablish the deduction for state and local sales taxes
for Texans. Senator Hutchison has worked to reduce marginal
income tax rates, eliminate the death tax, and lower taxes
on capital gains.
Early in her Senate career, she was lead sponsor of a bill
to create the new Homemaker IRA. It allows spouses who do
not work outside the home to save for retirement through an
IRA.
Education and Science
The "No Child Left Behind Act" includes many initiatives
authored by the senator, including a provision to help
recruit mid-career professionals and retirees into teaching
positions. An additional provision requires "report cards"
that give parents regular updates on the performance of
their child's school. Senator Hutchison was also able to
allow parents to place their children in a single-gender
school or classroom by removing barriers that prevented local
school districts from offering this choice.
Senator Hutchison was instrumental in establishing The
Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas
(TAMEST). It is the centerpiece of her effort to support
research and development while promoting Texas as a science
state. During her tenure in the U.S. Senate, Texas has moved
to third in the nation in receipt of federal research and
development expenditures.
Senator
Hutchison was highly instrumental in seeing that funding was
secured for the
Orthopaedic Extremity Trauma Research Program
(OETRP).
The fiscal year 2006 Defense Appropriations bill included
approximately $7.5 million, specifically earmarked and
requested by the AAOS, to develop the Orthopaedic Extremity
Trauma Research Program at the U.S. Army Institute of
Surgical Research (ISR) in Ft. Sam Houston, Texas.
House and Senate Defense appropriators granted $6.8 million
to the Orthopaedic Extremity Trauma Research Program in
fiscal year 2007.
In the 109th Congress, Senator Hutchison assumed the
chairmanship of the Science and Space Subcommittee of the
Commerce Committee, overseeing NASA and the National Science
Foundation. In December of 2005, the president signed into
law the Senator's five-year blueprint for NASA's exploration
and research initiatives.
Transportation
Senator Hutchison led efforts in 2006 to repeal the
anti-competitive Wright Amendment, which limited flights out
of Dallas Love Field Airport. Originally intended to
encourage growth at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport,
the harmful provision artificially inflated air fares at
both airports. At the Senator's encouragement, airlines and
airport owners reached an historic agreement -- now enacted
into law -- that will remove unfair barriers and
restrictions at Love Field.
Personal History
The senator's Texas roots run deep. Thomas Rusk of
Nacogdoches was the first Texan to hold the U.S. Senate seat
she currently occupies. He and Senator Hutchison's
great-great-grandfather, Charles S. Taylor, were friends and
both signed the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Senator Hutchison grew up in La Marque, Texas and graduated
from the University of Texas and UT Law School. She was
twice elected to the Texas House of Representatives. In
1990, she was elected Texas State Treasurer. In June 2000,
she and several colleagues coauthored "Nine and Counting: The
Women of the Senate", and in 2004, she released her second
book, "American Heroines: The Spirited Women Who Shaped Our
Country".
The senator lives in Dallas with her husband, Ray, and their
two children, Bailey and Houston.
Email
Kay Bailey Hutchison to thank her for her work.
[top]
[back
to e-connect archive page]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This Week In Texas: Mignon
McGarry Memos |
|
|
By Mignon McGarry
TOA Legislative Advocate / Memos: Thu Feb. 8 & Tue
Feb. 6, 2007
TOA Online Version: All Memos
February
8, 2007, Thursday
Last Friday’s bombshell by Governor Rick Perry – the
executive order mandating HPV vaccinations for girls as young
as 11-- has created an
|
uproar at the capitol. Members
of both
houses, Senator Jane Nelson (R-Flowermound) and Rep. Jim
Keffer (R-Eastland), have called for an attorney general’s
opinion of the enforceability of the order.
While
Governor Perry was fielding media calls from around the world
this weekend, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst was literally “riding”
out the storm in San Antonio. He showed up for work Monday
with a bloodshot left eye after a run in with his cowboy hat
at the San Antonio rodeo over the weekend.
Apparently
he was wiping the sweat off his forehead when the brim of his
hat hit him in the eye. He had worked up the sweat during the
cutting horse competition, (he came in fifth place and won
$750).
February 6,
2007, Tuesday
Governor Rick Perry gave his State of the State address to
the Legislature today. The Governor laid out his proposed budget
and focused his comments on his initiatives regarding healthcare
and education. Among the healthcare initiatives mentioned were
Healthier Texas, a statewide premium assistance program for the
uninsured; a $3 billion cancer research fund; and the pursuit of
federal waivers to reform state Medicaid programs to provide
more customized benefit packages. Education initiatives in his
budget include $80 million for the expansion of Early Start
Pre-K programs; $360 million for financial aid programs; and $15
million for nursing education programs.
Governor Perry also commented on
his controversial executive order, issued Friday, February 2,
that would require the HPV immunization for young women in the
sixth grade. He stated that he would prefer to err on the side
of protecting life.
As was previously disclosed in
media accounts, Governor Perry identified the potential sale of
the Texas Lottery as the funding mechanism for some of his
proposed initiatives. The proceeds of the sale would be used to
fund Healthier Texas and cancer research, as well as funding a
permanent endowment for public education.
[top]
[back
to e-connect archive page]
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Department B: Who's Your Payer? |
|
|
It is the second month of the
new year and things are settling down a bit from the 2007
coding changes. This is a good time to look at your
payer mix and your reimbursement. Do you know what
each of your contracted payers is paying you? Are you
receiving the correct amount
of reimbursement?
If you do not know what they
are paying you or what they should be paying you, you can
ask the payer. Depending on each payer you will
|
need to
find out what their method is for providing this
information. Most medical practice software programs today
allow you to enter the payer allowables in the computer
system per payer. By doing this you can track any
inappropriate payments.
If you
have any questions please contact: Ann Hillius at Department
B, (714) 665-6920,
ann@department.com, or check our web site:
www.departmentb.com.
[top]
[back
to e-connect archive page]
|
|
|
|
You have subscribed to this newsletter. If your email
address has changed, please update
your account. Thank you!
|
|
