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Azalea Orthopaedics Honored For Besting Benchmarks
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By John Early, MD
President, Texas Orthopaedic Association
Congratulations Azalea Orthopaedics!
We contacted TOA Past
President, Tim Beck and Leslie Fossey, PR Director for
Azalea Orthopaedics to congratulate them on their
successful patient satisfaction program. Leslie Fossey
asked us to mention a couple of corrections to which we
amended the original
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article. She said "Azalea has ranked above the 90th percentile
for three years. Azalea has come close several times but has just
now exceeded that goal. Azalea Orthopaedics has 17 orthopedic
surgeons and two physical medicine physicians on board."
Original Article on Tyler Morning Telegraph's Website
By
Coshandra Dillard (903.596.6287)
Staff Writer
Staff members at Azalea Orthopaedics had something to celebrate
Wednesday as they were recognized for going above benchmarks in
patient satisfaction surveys. Press Ganey Associates, an independent patient satisfaction survey company,
each year recognizes health care facilities that rank in the 95th
percentile in the nation for patient satisfaction.
Azalea Orthopaedics exceeded the goal, reaching the 97th percentile.
Within the region, which includes Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and
Louisiana, the facility ranked in the 99th percentile.
In the last three years, the facility ranked in the 90th percentile
and staff members have collectively worked to push past that extra
point. Officials said, as reports are released each year, they
review data to identify areas that need the most improvement.
"It's about taking ownership," said Dr. Michael Russell, orthopedic
spine surgeon. "Its important to not just care for the patient, but
give them a good experience while here, and take care of their
families' needs."
Factors used in the survey include concern for patients' privacy,
sensitivity to patients' needs, waiting times, communication of
delays and quality of care. As one objective has been met, the staff
looks toward another one.
"The goal is to stay at 95 percent or better and we will be
satisfied," Russell said. The clinic was also recognized for an
improvement of 1.3 mean score points in overall satisfaction from
Feb. 1 to April 30.
In addition to general and pediatric orthopedic, Azalea Orthopaedics
provides care for nerve pain and the spine. It has 140 employees
including 17 surgeons at two locations: 1905 Donnybrook Ave. and
3414 Golden Road. Officials plan to consolidate the two locations at
the Golden Road site this summer.
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MOC Exam Information
(as of
June 2009)
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Part I Application
The Part I Exam application will be available online October 10, 2009.
Deadline for the 2010 application is December 15, 2009. The exam is
on July 8, 2010.
Part II Application
The application for 2010 Part II will be available online April 1,
2009.
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APRIL 1 - SEPTEMBER 30, 2009 is the
time to collect your cases. The deadline to apply and submit your
case lists is October 31, 2009. The absolute late deadline with an
additional $350.00 late fee is November 15, 2009.
MOC for Diplomats with Certificates Expiring in 2011, 2012, &
2013
Those who wish to take the 2011 Examination must log into the ABOS
website and
register their Case Logs and CME. (Registration date for 2011 starts
February 1, 2009)
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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
June 3, 2009, Wednesday
The Texas
Legislature adjourned Sine Die on Monday. As expected, the
last few days of session were like a roller coaster ride of
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downs, twists and turns.
Both chambers passed a $182.3 billion state budget for the
next biennium with little fanfare. The budget, which
includes $12 billion in federal stimulus funds, now goes to
Governor Perry who can use his veto pen to cut select
provisions. A $2.4 billion supplemental budget was also
passed. The supplemental budget helps agencies cover cost
overages for the remainder of the current budget year. It
includes $150 million for hurricane response and recovery.
Of the roughly 7,200 bills filed, close to 1400 passed.
Additional bills that failed to pass were added to ones that
did as amendments.
As you have now no doubt read
in the news, the Legislature adjourned without passing
sunset legislation to extend the life of five state
agencies, most notably the Texas Department of
Transportation and the Texas Department of Insurance. In a
press conference on Tuesday, Governor Perry assured Texans
that these agencies would continue to operate as he explores
the various options to keep them operating through the next
legislative session in 2011. Although Governor Perry
commented that it was too early to discuss the prospect of a
special session, rumors abound in Austin that a special
session will be called shortly after the March primary
election in 2010.
Key bills passed by the
Legislature include
Senate Bill 175 (Top Ten Percent);
House Bill 3
(Public School Accountability);
House Bill 4765
(Margins Tax Threshold); and
House Joint Resolution 14
(Eminent Domain). Legislation to address funding issues
within the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association was added
to another bill at the eleventh hour and now awaits the
Governor's approval.
Key bills that failed to pass
include Senate Bill 362
(Voter ID); Senate Bill
1164 (Concealed Carry on Campus);
Senate Bill 1443
(Higher Ed Tuition Regulation);
House Bill 2962
(CHIP Expansion); Senate
Bill 182 (Mandatory Ultrasounds before abortions)
and various bills related to the expansion of gambling.
Governor Perry has until
Sunday, June 21st to sign, veto or allow
legislation to become law without his signature.
Curious about a bill that you
have heard about or lost track of along the way? Go to
http://www.capitol.state.tx.us where you can search for
bills by number or by subject. There is also a text search
feature.
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Update: Bills Of Interest To TOA
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TX H 1357
Isett SpecialtyHosp
Freestanding Emergency Medical Care Facilities
Relates to the regulation of Freestanding Emergency Medical
Care facilities; provides an administrative penalty; creates an
offense.
06/03/2009 *****To GOVERNOR. |
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TX H 1888
Davis J InsReimburse PatientSafety
Physician Ranking
Relates to standards required for certain rankings of
physicians by health benefit plans.
06/01/2009 *****To GOVERNOR.
TX H 2154
Edwards Physicians
Physician Education Loan Repayment Program
Relates to the physician education loan repayment program.
06/03/2009 *****To GOVERNOR.
TX H 3450
Legler Chiropractic
Temporary Chiropractic Faculty License
Relates to a temporary faculty license for chiropractic
faculty.
05/31/2009 *****To GOVERNOR.
TX H 3456
Branch Physicians
Baylor College of Medicine Funding
Relates to the education and preparation of resident
physicians; relates to the contract with Baylor College of Medicine that
provides money to be spent exclusively by the school for the education,
training, development, and preparation of resident physicians for a
career in medicine.
05/29/2009 Filed with Secretary of State. Chapter No. 44
TX H 3717
King S PT-misc
Physical Therapy
Relates to exemptions from the requirement to hold a license
to practice physical therapy.
06/03/2009 *****To GOVERNOR.
TX H 4409
Taylor MedMal
Emergency Preparation and Management
Relates to emergency preparation and management.
06/03/2009 *****To GOVERNOR.
TX S 202
Shapleigh Physicians
Physician Provisional Licensing
Provides for provisional licensing of physicians to practice
in underserved areas.
05/28/2009 *****To GOVERNOR.
TX S 292
Nelson Physicians
Physician Emergency Contact Information
Relates to the requirement that licensed physicians submit to
the State Medical Board, telephone numbers, fax numbers, and e-mail
addresses, if available and as appropriate, that the board may use to
contact the license holder in an emergency.
06/03/2009 *****To GOVERNOR.
TX S 395
Lucio Ed PT-misc
Early Childhood Health and Nutrition Council
Relates to creation of the Early Childhood Health and
Nutrition Interagency Council.
06/01/2009 *****To GOVERNOR.
TX S 1225
Huffman Physicians
Faculty Temporary Licenses to Practice Medicine
Relates to faculty temporary licenses to practice medicine.
06/01/2009 *****To GOVERNOR.
TX S 1326
Nelson ASC
Statewide Health Coordinating Council
Relates to the functions of the Statewide Health Coordinating
Council; provides civil penalties.
06/01/2009 *****To GOVERNOR.
TX S 1728
West Physicians
Joint Admissions Medical Program
Relates to the administration of and eligibility for the
Joint Admissions Medical Program.
06/01/2009 *****To GOVERNOR.
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Health Care
Providers Offer Input on Imaging Services
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On May 27, 2009, the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) hosted an Open
Door Forum on the upcoming Appropriate Use of Imaging
Services Demonstration Project. The demonstration
project was authorized by the Medicare Improvements for
Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA). The goal of
this project is to collect data on physicians' use of
advanced diagnostic imaging services (defined as
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),
computed tomography (CT) and
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nuclear medicine (including positron
emission tomography).
The open door forum was a listening session to obtain input from
stakeholders. The call was led by staff from The Lewin Group, the
firm that won the contract to conduct the demonstration. The
specific goals of the open door forum were to gather input on
evaluating and measuring utilization, ways to motivate physician
participation, issues related to point of order and point of service
and which procedures to include in the demonstration. The main
groups participating in the discussion were the American College of
Cardiology, American College of Radiology, independent radiology
groups, and hospitals that have already implemented these types of
programs. The major suggestions from participants were to
standardize the electronic means of collecting data, ensure ease of
use by incorporating programs into workflow process, and use
evidence-based appropriateness criteria. The main area of
disagreement was whether to focus on criteria at the point-of-order
or the point-of-service.
The AAOS is working with CMS and The Lewin Group assist in the
appropriate design of the demonstration project.
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