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RED ALERT!!!
ACTION ALERT -
OPPOSE SB 1101 |
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Contact your State
Senator ASAP
Find your
State Senator at
http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/
RED ALERT: ACTION ALERT on SB 1101
URGENT - SB 1101 is up for a final vote again in the
Senate TODAY!
Call your Senators (Again) Right NOW!
On Friday, May 4, 2007, SB 1101 was brought up for a vote on
the Senate Floor, even after Sen. Duncan's office indicated
that SB 1101 would NOT be brought up for a vote. SB 1101
passed to third reading in the Senate.
Because of your phone calls we stopped SB 1101 yesterday. We
can do it again today. Your help is necessary to stop it from
going any further.
Please CALL your Senators RIGHT NOW and let them know
how much you appreciate their support to BLOCK SB 1101, and
ask them to continue to vote NO to suspend on SB 1101.
Sen. Duncan is again claiming he has addressed "our" concerns
and will offer a couple of amendments today. Let your Senators
know that "our" concerns have not been addressed, and we still
need their help. Let the Senators know that we continue to be
strongly opposed to SB 1101 and ask them to continue to OPPOSE
SB 1101 by voting NO to suspend on SB 1101.
We have still had no discussions on the content of the bill
with Sen. Duncan, even though we expressed our concerns at the
hearing and offered to sit down to work through the bill.
We believe Sen. Duncan is only discussing this bill with the
Radiologists and certain Hospitals, NOT with the
Cardiologists, Orthopaedic Surgeons, Gastroenterologists,
Urologists, OB/Gyn's, Neurologists, Neurosurgeons or any other
physicians or physician organizations.
Here are the problems we have found with SB 1101 (even after
the amendments Sen. Duncan will offer today):
The bill places unnecessary administrative costs and burdens
on my practice and the healthcare system that must be absorbed
elsewhere;
The bill creates yet another collection of data by the State
that does not serve our healthcare system in any positive way;
The bill's supporters say SB 1101 is just a way to collect
data on the use of expensive diagnostic imaging services. If
that's the case, it should apply to all imaging facilities: in
hospitals and free-standing, owned or not by physicians.
The bill allows facilities to make this report to the state by
simply turning in copies of their claims for imaging services.
Those claim forms, by the way, would immediately become public
information, violating privacy rules.
THIS IS THE FIRST STEP IN TAKING AWAY EVERY OTHER
PHYSICIAN'S RIGHT TO USE IMAGING PROCEDURES IN THEIR TREATMENT
OF THEIR PATIENTS, AND LIMITING IMAGING SERVICES TO ONLY THE
RADIOLOGISTS!
Please take 2 minutes today to help your patients and
save your practice by asking your Senator to Block SB 1101
today by voting "NO" on the Motion to Suspend on Senate
Bill 1101.
To view SB 1101, click
here.
Complete list of Texas Senators with contact information:
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Sample
telephone script:
Dr.: Hello, I am Dr. _______________, I
am a Orthopaedic Surgeon in _____________ (city or community), I see
over _______ (# of patient visits) patients per year, and have
privileges at _____________________(hospitals), and I am a member of
the Texas Othropaedic Association.
Office: How can I help you Doctor?
Dr.: I am calling to ask Senator
_____________ to continue to BLOCK SB 1101 from a Floor vote. I am
asking Senator _______________ to NOT VOTE to SUSPEND on SB 1101.
There has not been any agreement reached on the bill, in fact we have
not heard from Sen. Duncan's office regarding this bill and our
concerns.
Office: Why are you opposed to SB 1101?
Dr.: For several reasons:
-
First, it places
unnecessary administrative costs and burdens on my practice and the
healthcare system that must be absorbed elsewhere;
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Second, it
creates yet another collection of data by the State that does not
serve our healthcare system in any positive way;
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Third, it does
not apply evenly and fairly to all facilities;
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Fourth, it asks
physicians to turn in the claim forms which contains delicate,
personal information about patients and will violate the patients'
right to privacy;
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Finally, this is
the first step in the attempt to take imaging services out of your
hands and place imaging solely in the hands of the Radiologists.
Office: Won't the data be helpful?
Dr.: No, the collected data will not
address any relevant issue to healthcare. It is not relevant to access
to care, costs of care or quality of care, the three fundamental
issues the State should care about in its healthcare policy.
Instead, SB 1101 asks the Senator to get involved with the
Radiologists' efforts to steer business to themselves, an
anti-competition effort which is detrimental to the best possible
patient care.
Dr.: So can my patients and I count on
Senator _____________ to BLOCK SB 1101?
Thank you.
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