HB3816 Time Ran Out - Alternative Action to Pass Provisions-Plz Act Now!

Below is a communication from Dr.Hotze that tells where the legislation to reform the medical board (CSHB 3816) stands as of this minute.

e-mail addresses of all state senators and representatives are below. Cut and past into your e-mail program and send these people the message:

PASS CSHB 3816!

Time Runs Out in 3rd Quarter
Alternative Course of Action to Pass Provisions of CSHB 3816

Austin, Texas
May 15, 2009

The Texas House ran out of time last night and did not get to hundreds and hundreds of bills before the 12 midnight deadline for passing House bills this session. This means that we will have to use alternative routes to get the provisions of CSHB 3816 enacted by the legislature. We are now in the fourth quarter of the game!

We have been developing several other ways to accomplish this for the past several weeks in the event that we ran out of time in the House. So we are on to Plan B. We must continue to press the battle!

Please know that I remain confident that we will pass significant revisions to the Texas Medical Practice Act in the 2009 Texas Legislature.

Please continue to call your State Representatives and Senators and tell them that you want them to vote for legislation which revises the Texas Medical Practice Act.

You can locate your state representative or senator and his or her contact information at http://www.house.state.tx.us/resources/faq.htm#who_rep.

The provisions of CSHB 3816 revise the Texas Medical Practice Act to prevent competitors, insurance companies, drug companies and hospitals from filing anonymous complaints against physicians. It prohibits conflicts of interest to prevent board members from working for insurance or other companies who are adverse to patients and physicians. It provides for transparency of the actions of the Texas Medical Board, ensures legal due process and protects patients’ and physicians’ rights from regulatory abuse.

Visit the Texans for Patients and Physicians website, www.txppr.com, to read CSHB 3816.

Synopsis of the Provisions of C.S.H.B. 3816 which we are working to pass in the 2009 Texas Legislature
Eliminates anonymous and confidential complaints and provides the accused physician with a copy of the complaint (with narrow exceptions). This means that competitors, insurance companies, drug companies and hospitals can not file complaints against physicians without revealing their identity to the doctor subject to the complaint.
Abuse of the complaint process by insurance companies shall be grounds for imposing sanctions by the commissioner of the Texas Department of Insurance.
A reasonable time of 45 days to respond to complaints (currently the physician must respond in only 14 days, which is far too short for a defense).
Prohibition of conflicts of interests by TMB members.
Expert witnesses must be actively practicing medicine in the same or similar specialty as the accused physician, and the expert shall review the record with the patients’ and physicians’ identities redacted.
No more disregard by the TMB of expert testimony that exonerates physicians subject to complaints; such reports must be provided to the physicians.
Transparency by requiring disclosure of the list of names of persons who served on the ISC disciplinary panels during the prior year.
A seven-year statute of limitations on complaints to prevent the current practice of abusive complaints that go back as far as 29 years.
A physician may practice medicine in a manner currently taught by an accredited organization, and the Board may not direct a physician in how to practice medicine except to prevent actual harm or an imminent risk of harm.
Physicians may request the recording of the ISC disciplinary proceeding.
The Board must accept the findings of the administrative law judge or contest them in a legal proceeding, rather than ignoring them as the Board does now.
The Board shall not discipline a physician for allegedly non-therapeutic care unless it has a likelihood of harm to a patient.
Doctors, like attorneys, deserve a right to a jury trial before license revocation.
Confident that, with God’s help and a lot of hard work, we shall be victo rious, I remain, as always,

Sincerely yours,

Steven F. Hotze, M.D.

Steven F. Hotze, M.D.
President
Texans for Patients' and Physicians' Rights
20214 Braidwood, Suite 215
Katy, Texas 77450
281.698.8679 - Stacey Bandfield, Director of Public Relations
stacey.bandfield@hotzehwc.com
www.txppr.org

Senator Email Addresses (Includes Rick Perry, Governor)*

RPerry@gov.state.tx.us, Kip.Averitt@senate.state.tx.us,
John.Carona@senate.state.tx.us, Wendy.Davis@senate.state.tx.us,
Bob.Deuell@senate.state.tx.us, Robert.Duncan@senate.state.tx.us,
Rodney.Ellis@senate.state.tx.us, Kevin.Eltife@senate.state.tx.us,
Craig.Estes@senate.state.tx.us, Troy.Fraser@senate.state.tx.us,
Mario.Gallegos@senate.state.tx.us, Chris.Harris@senate.state.tx.us,
Glenn.Hegar@senate.state.tx.us, Juan.Hinojosa@senate.state.tx.us,
Joan.Huffman@senate.state.tx.us, Mike.Jackson@senate.state.tx.us,
Eddie.Lucio@senate.state.tx.us, Jane.Nelson@senate.state.tx.us,
Robert.Nichols@senate.state.tx.us, Steve.Ogden@senate.state.tx.us,
Dan.Patrick@senate.state.tx.us, Kel.Seliger@senate.state.tx.us,
Florence.Shapiro@senate.state.tx.us, Eliot.Shapleigh@senate.state.tx.us,
Carlos.Uresti@senate.state.tx.us, Leticia.VandePutte@senate.state.tx.us,
Kirk.Watson@senate.state.tx.us, Jeff.Wentworth@senate.state.tx.us,
Royce.West@senate.state.tx.us, John.Whitmire@senate.state.tx.us,
Tommy.Williams@senate.state.tx.us, Judith.Zaffirini@senate.state.tx.us

*Senate Committee on Health and Human Services
*RPerry@gov.state.tx.us, Jane.Nelson@senate.state.tx.us,
Bob.Deuell@senate.state.tx.us, Joan.Huffman@senate.state.tx.us,
Robert.Nichols@senate.state.tx.us, Dan.Patrick@senate.state.tx.us,
Eliot.Shapleigh@senate.state.tx.us, Carlos.Uresti@senate.state.tx.us,
Royce.West@senate.state.tx.us, Judith.Zaffirini@senate.state.tx.us,
Kyle.Baum@@senate.state.tx.us

*House of Representatives (Includes Rick Perry, Governor)
*
RPerry@gov.state.tx.us, Alma.allen@house.state.tx.us,
Roberto.Alonzo@house.state.tx.us, Carol.Alvarado@house.state.tx.us,
Rafael.Anchia@house.state.tx.us, Charles.Anderson@house.state.tx.us,
Jimmie.Aycock@house.state.tx.us, Leo.Berman@house.state.tx.us,
Dwayne.Bohac@house.state.tx.us, Valinda.Bolton@house.state.tx.us,
Dennis.Bonnen@house.state.tx.us, Dan.Branch@house.state.tx.us,
Betty.Brown@house.state.tx.us, Fred.Brown@house.state.tx.us,
Lon.Burnam@house.state.tx.us, Angie.Button@house.state.tx.us,
Bill.Callegari@house.state.tx.us, Joaquine.Castro@house.state.tx.us,
Norma.Chavez@house.state.tx.us, Warren.Chisum@house.state.tx.us,
Wayne.Christian@house.state.tx.us, Ellen.Cohen@house.state.tx.us,
Garnet.Coleman@house.state.tx.us, Byron.Cook@house.state.tx.us,
Frank.Corte@house.state.tx.us, Joe.Crabb@house.state.tx.us,
Tom.Craddick@house.state.tx.us, Brandon.Creighton@house.state.tx.us,
Myra.Crownover@house.state.tx.us, Drew.Darby@house.state.tx.us,
John.Davis@house.state.tx.us, Yvonne.Davis@house.state.tx.us,
Joe.Deshotel@house.state.tx.us, Joe.Driver@house.state.tx.us,
Dawnna.Dukes@house.state.tx.us, Jim.Dunnam@house.state.tx.us,
Harold.Dutton@house.state.tx.us, Al.Edwards@house.state.tx.us,
Craig.Eiland@house.state.tx.us, Rob.Eissler@house.state.tx.us,
Gary.Elkins@house.state.tx.us, Kirk.England@house.state.tx.us,
David.Farabee@house.state.tx.us, Joe.Farias@house.state.tx.us,
Jessica.Farrar@house.state.tx.us, Allen.Fletcher@house.state.tx.us,
Ismael.Flores@house.state.tx.us, Dan.Flynn@house.state.tx.us,
Stephen.Frost@house.state.tx.us, Pete.Gallego@house.state.tx.us,
Dan.Gattis@house.state.tx.us, Charlie.Geren@house.state.tx.us,
Helen.Giddings@house.state.tx.us, Veronica.Gonzales@house.state.tx.us,
Yvonne.Gonzales-Toureilles@house.state.tx.us, Ryan.Guillen@house.state.tx.us,
Roland.Guiterrez@house.state.tx.us, Mike.Hamilton@house.state.tx.us,
Kelly.Hancock@house.state.tx.us, Rick.Hardcastle@house.state.tx.us,
Patricia.Harless@house.state.tx.us, Linda.Harper-Brown@house.state.tx.us,
Will.Hartnet@house.state.tx.us, Joe.Heflin@house.state.tx.us,
Ana.Hernandez@house.state.tx.us, Abel.Herrero@house.state.tx.us,
Harvey.Hilderbran@house.state.tx.us, Scott.Hochberg@house.state.tx.us,
Terri.Hodge@house.state.tx.us, Mark.Homer@house.state.tx.us,
Chuck.Hopson@house.state.tx.us, Charlie.Howard@house.state.tx.us,
Donna.Howard@house.state.tx.us, Bryan.Hughes@house.state.tx.us,
Todd.Hunter@house.state.tx.us, Carl.Isett@house.state.tx.us,
Jim.Jackson@house.state.tx.us, Delwin.Jones@house.state.tx.us,
Jim.Keffer@house.state.tx.us, Carol.Kent@house.state.tx.us,
Phil.King@house.state.tx.us, Susan.King@house.state.tx.us,
Tracy.King@house.state.tx.us, Tim.Kleinschmidt@house.state.tx.us,
Lois.Kolkhorst@house.state.tx.us, Edmund.Kuempel@house.state.tx.us,
Jodie.Laubenberg@house.state.tx.us, Ken.Legler@house.state.tx.us,
David.Leibowitz@house.state.tx.us, Tryon.Lewis@house.state.tx.us,
Eddie.Lucio@house.state.tx.us, Jerry.Madden@house.state.tx.us,
Diana.Maldonado@house.state.tx.us, Barbara.Mallory-Caraway@house.state.tx.us,
Marisa.Marquez@house.state.tx.us, Armando.Martinez@house.state.tx.us,
Trey.Martinez-Fisher@house.state.tx.us, Brian.McCall@house.state.tx.us,
Ruth.McClendon@house.state.tx.us, Jim.McReynolds@house.state.tx.us,
Jose.Menendez@house.state.tx.us, Tommy.Merritt@house.state.tx.us,
Robert.Miklos@house.state.tx.us, Doug.Miller@house.state.tx.us,
Sid.Miller@house.state.tx.us, Joseph.Moody@house.state.tx.us,
Geanie.Morrison@house.state.tx.us, Elliott.Naishtat@house.state.tx.us,
Rene.Oliveira@house.state.tx.us, Dora.Olivo@house.state.tx.us,
Rob.Orr@house.state.tx.us, Solomon.Ortiz@house.state.tx.us,
John.Otto@house.state.tx.us, Tan.Parker@house.state.tx.us,
Diane.Patrick@house.state.tx.us, Ken.Paxton@house.state.tx.us,
Aaron.Pena@house.state.tx.us, Larry.Phillips@house.state.tx.us,
Joe.Pickett@house.state.tx.us, Paula.Pierson@house.state.tx.us,
Jim.Pitts@house.state.tx.us, Chente.Quintanilla@house.state.tx.us,
Richard.Raymond@house.state.tx.us, Debbie.Riddle@house.state.tx.us,
Tara.Rios-Ybarra@house.state.tx.us, Allan.Ritter@house.state.tx.us,
Eddie.Rodriquez@house.state.tx.us, Patrick.Rose@house.state.tx.us,
Ralph.Sheffield@house.state.tx.us, Mark.Shelton@house.state.tx.us,
Todd.Smith@house.state.tx.us, Wayne.Smith@house.state.tx.us,
John.Smithee@house.state.tx.us, Burt.Solomons@house.state.tx.us,
Mark.Strama@house.state.tx.us, Joe.Straus@house.state.tx.us,
David.Swinford@house.state.tx.us, Larry.Taylor@house.state.tx.us,
Kristi.Thibaut@house.state.tx.us, Senfronia.Thompson@house.state.tx.us,
Vicki.Truitt@house.state.tx.us, Chris.Turner@house.state.tx.us,
Sylvester.Turner@house.state.tx.us, Allen.Vaught@house.state.tx.us,
Marc.Veasey@house.state.tx.us, Mike.Villarreal@house.state.tx.us,
Hubert.Vo@house.state.tx.us, Armando.Walle@house.state.tx.us,
Randy.Weber@house.state.tx.us, Beverly.Woolley@house.state.tx.us,
John.Zerwas@house.state.tx.us


House Committee on Public Health
Lois.kolkhorst@house.state.tx.us. Elliott.naishtat@house.state.tx.us,
Garnet.coleman@house.state.tx.us, John.davis@house.state.tx.us,
Veronica.gonzales@house.state.tx.us, Chuck.hopson@house.state.tx.us,
Susan.king@house.state.tx.us, Jodie.laubenberg@house.state.tx.us,
Jim.mcreynolds@house.state.tx.us, Vicki.truitt@house.state.tx.us,
john.zerwas@house.state.tx.us, doug.brown@house.state.tx.us,
rick.perry@gov.state.tx.us

House Committee on Calendars
brian.mccall@house.state.tx.us, eddie.luccio@house.state.tx.us,
norma.chavez@house.state.tx.us,garnet.colemand@house.state.tx.us,
byron.cook@house.state.tx.us,brandon.creighton@house.state.tx.us, charlie.geren@house.state.tx.us,jim.keffer@house.state.tx.us, lois.kolkhorst@house.state.tx.us,edmund.kuempel@house.state.tx.us, allan.ritter@house.state.tx.us,burt.solomons@house.state.tx.us
jim.mcreynolds@house.state.tx.us, RPerry@gov.state.tx.us
Clerk: Juan Garcia Phone: (512) 463-0758