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TOA
President's
Update: Save The Date! / E-Connect Update
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By Timothy L. Beck, MD
President, Texas Orthopaedic Association
Save The Date!
You are cordially invited to
attend the following 2009 meetings of the Texas Orthopaedic
Association and the Texas Orthopaedic Foundation: |
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Socioeconomic Summit
January 31st & February 1st
Stephen F. Austin, Austin
Annual Meeting and Scientific Session
April 23rd – 25th
Sheraton Austin Hotel, Austin
The Board of Directors look forward to
your attendance and participation in these important educational
meetings, and welcome the opportunity to share new knowledge in the
field of orthopaedic surgery with you and fellow orthopaedists from
across the state of Texas. Dr. L. Edward Seade, TOA Program Chair, has
assembled an all-star cast of experts to teach us new and updated
cutting edge techniques and concepts. TOA is accredited by the Texas
Medical Association’s Continuing Medical Education Committee to provide
orthopaedic surgeons throughout Texas the most up-to-date knowledge,
trends and techniques in orthopaedic surgery.
More program information and a registration mailing will be sent to TOA
members in September. We hope that you will consider being a part of
another outstanding TOA annual program.
E-Connect Update
Beginning in September, the TOA E-Connect will be sent to our members
every other week. Once the 2009 Texas Legislative Session begins, the
E-Connect will be sent each week either in its usual format or as a
legislative alert. We expect a very busy session with even more action
regarding non-physician practitioners and their scope, workers
compensation, physician ownership, insurance issues and the defense of
tort reform. Mignon McGarry and Associates will work with our TOA Board
of Directors to support legislation that sustains quality health care in
Texas and protects our patients.
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Division Adopts Ambulatory
Surgical Center Regulations and Fees
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By Michael Reed,
MPA, MBA, Director of Healthcare Delivery Systems
Texas Medical Association
The Texas Division of Workers'
Compensation announced Wednesday that Commissioner Albert Betts has
signed regulations adopting |
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amendments to the ambulatory surgical
center (ASC) rules and fees.
Under the new guideline, the rate is 235% of Medicare except when
implantable devices are involved. In those situations, the alternative
rate would be 153% of Medicare, plus the cost of the device plus 10%,
under a $2,000 cap.
The current reimbursement rate is 213.3% of Medicare.
The order was signed Aug. 8, sent to the Texas Register on Aug. 11 for
publication on Aug. 22 and will become effective on Aug. 31.
The division reported that it adopted Medicare methodology with minor
modifications in drafting the regulations.
The rules state that new Section 134.402(f)(1) allows two payment
structures.
"The first reimbursement for non-device intensive procedures is to be
the Medicare ASC facility reimbursement amount multiplied by 235%."
"In the alternative, if an ASC facility or surgical implant provider
requests separate reimbursement for an implantable, reimbursement for
a non-device intensive procedure is the sum of two parts."
"The first part is the lesser of the manufacturer's invoice amount or
the net amount (exclusive of rebates and discounts) plus 10% or $1,000
per billed item add-on, whichever is less, but not to exceed $2,000 in
add-on's per admission. The second part is the Medicare ASC facility
reimbursement amount multiplied by 153%," the rules provide.
New Section134.402(f)(2) allows a reimbursement for device-intensive
procedures to be "the sum of the ASC device portion, and the ASC
service portion multiplied by 235%."
It also provides that if an ambulatory surgical facility or surgical
implant provider requests separate reimbursement for an implantable
device, "reimbursement for the device intensive-procedure shall be the
sum of the lesser of the manufacturer's invoice amount or the net
amount (exclusive of rebates and discounts) plus 10% or $1,000 per
billed item add-on, whichever is less, but not to exceed in $2,000 in
add-on's per admission and the ASC service portion multiplied by
235%."
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Doctors Without Borders
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Melanie Capiccioni,
Press Assistant
Put Your Ideals Into
Practice: Doctors Without Borders/Medecins |
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Sans Frontieres (MSF) has an ongoing
need for orthopedic surgeons to provide emergency medical care to some
of the most vulnerable populations in the world - people affected by
armed conflicts and natural disasters, or without access to a
functioning health system. If you are ready to dedicate six weeks to
three months providing urgent medical care to patients in countries
like Haiti or Nigeria, visit the Doctors Without Borders
website
and learn how you can put YOUR ideals into practice.
Doctors Without Borders articles of interest:
May 2007
Providing Emergency Medical Care to Victims of Violence in the Niger
Delta - mentions initiation of internal fixation surgery in Pt
Harcourt - click
here.
January 2006
Orthopedic Surgeon Courtland Lewis, MD in Mansehra, Pakistan - click
here.
What Borders for Surgery? From 2007 Int Activity Report - click
here.
Casualties of War article on Amman project in 07 Alert - click
here.
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AMA Scope Of Practice Data Series
Modules Now Available
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Every year,
in nearly every state, non-physician practitioners lobby for
expansion of scope of practice. While some scope expansions
are appropriate and beneficial to patients, many are
unwarranted intrusions into the practice of medicine.
The AMA is
drafting scope of practice informational modules on 10
distinct non-physician professions. These modules are intended
to
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complement existing
state medical association or national specialty society resources in
legislative and/or regulatory scope of practice challenges by
providing detailed information on each profession.
Each module will detail
the demographics of the profession; the education and training required
to enter the profession; licensure, certification and regulation; and
professional organization and advocacy initiatives of the profession.
The modules will also provide a list of current association policies and
medical and other literature that may support or refute the
non-physicians' claims.
AMA members can visit
the AMA's Advocacy Resource Center Scope of Practice Partnership Web
site to download the psychologist, podiatrist and naturopath modules.
The remaining seven modules will be completed by the end of the year.
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This Week In Texas: Mignon
McGarry Memos
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By Mignon McGarry
TOA Legislative Advocate
TOA Online Version: All Memos
August 20th, 2008, Wednesday
As summer fades away
and fall approaches, my staff and I are getting organized for
the upcoming legislative session which begins Tuesday, |
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January 13th. This Mignon Memo
will begin coming to you once a week during session along with
bill tracks and other important communications. Please take a
minute to let us know the best contact information for you.
For example, do you prefer email as the primary form of
communication? Do you still receive fax transmissions? Is
there a new person in your office who you would like to be the
recipient of this type of communication? Did you get a new
cell phone number or new email address? Speaking of email
addresses, I am trying to move all my business related emails
to this email address:
mignon@mignonm.com. Please change your address books to
reflect this change. Our phone and fax remain the same: (512)
708-9053 (phone) and (512) 708-9054 (fax).
The staff of the Sunset Advisory Commission issued its
recommendations regarding the Texas Residential Construction
Commission (TRCC). In their report, the staff recommends
abolishing the TRCC and repealing the Texas Residential
Construction Commission Act because the TRCC fails to provide
meaningful oversight and public protection. Members of the
Sunset Advisory Commission are scheduled to discuss this
report at their meeting on September 23rd.
The battle between Sen. Kim Brimer (R-Ft. Worth) and his
opponent on the November ballot, Democrat Wendy Davis wages
on. Brimer has been engaged in legal action in the form of an
eligibility challenge, arguing that Davis did not resign her
Ft. Worth City Council seat early enough to be eligible for
the Senate District 10 race. Yesterday, the Texas Supreme
Court rejected Brimer's petition for a Writ of Mandamus. Both
sides have a few more legal options to exercise before this
Friday, the last day for removing Wendy Davis' name from the
general election ballot.
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