CSHB 3816: Full House Vote May 13! CALL NOW

[Guest guest]

YOU GUYS ROCK who made their voices heard. THANK YOU!!!

Just letting you know that the bill was kicked out from Calendars and set for

debate tomorrow (Wed).

We must continue to help support every medical professional who help our

individuals under the autism spectrum.

CSHB 3816 Passes out of Calendars Committee

Scheduled for Full House Vote on May 13th

Late last night the Committee Substitute House Bill (CSHB) 3816, introduced by

Rep. Fred Brown to reform the Texas Medical Board,=0 Awas passed out of the

Calendars Committee. Thank God!

It is scheduled to be voted upon by the full Texas House tomorrow, Wednesday,

May 13, 2009.

PLEASE contact your state representative today and tomorrow by phone and e-mail

and ask him or her to vote " Yes! " on CSHB 3816. This is the most critical vot e

thus far. It is crucial for your to take action now to ensure our success.

PLEASE locate who your state representative is and find his contact information

online at http://www.house.state.tx.us/resources/faq.htm#who_rep.

CSHB 3816 revises the Texas Medical Practice Act to prevent competitors,

insurance companies, drug companies and hospitals from fil ing 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.

CSHB 3816 does the following:

1. Eliminates anonymous complaints and provide the accused physician with a

copy of the complaint (with narrow exceptions).

2. Abuse of the complaint process by insurance companies shall be grounds for

imposing sanctions by the commissioner of the Texas Department of Insurance.

3. 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).

4. Prohibition of conflicts of interests by TMB (Texas Medical Board)

members.

5. 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.

6. No more disregard by the TMB of expert testimony that exonerates

physicians subject to complaints; such reports must be provided to the

physicians.

7. Transparency by requiring disclosure of the list of names of persons who

served on the ISC disciplinary panels during the prior year.

8. A seven-year statute of limitations on complaints to prevent the current

practice of abusive complaints that go back as far as 29 years.

9. 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.

10. Physicians may request the recording of the ISC disciplinary proceeding.

11. The Board must accept the findings of20the administrative law judge or

contest them in a legal proceeding, rather than ignoring them as the Board does

now.

12. The Board shall not discipline a physician for allegedly non-therapeutic

care unless it has a likelihood of harm to a patient.

13. Doctors, like attorneys, deserve a right to a jury trial before license

revocation.

PLEASE CALL AND EMAIL NOW! The legislators work late. THANK YOU!