Austin Doctor Offers New Kind of Health Care
from The Austin American-Statesman, Dec. 8, 2008
 After 35 years in family practice, Dr. Sheldon Markowitz of Austin says he's getting out of the "hustle and bustle world of medicine" and trying something new — with a lot fewer patients. "Concierge," "boutique" or "retainer" medical practices like MDVIP have been around for about a dozen years. They cater to people who either have insurance or the means to pay the fees. Texas Medical Association President Dr. Josie Williams said doctors in Texas have been slower to jump on the concierge medicine train than doctors in other states. But so many family practice doctors are "working their guts out," she said, that increasing numbers are seeking alternatives to traditional ways of practicing. More
Senate, House Leadership Discuss Medicare Physician Pay Fix With Obama's Health Care Team
from The Kaiser Network, Dec. 9, 2008
Senate and House leaders and committee staffers have been discussing with members of President-elect Barack Obama's health care team the possibility of cutting $100 billion from the cost of permanently fixing Medicare physician payments by eliminating from the payment formula drugs administered by doctors, CongressDaily reports. Under the sustainable growth rate formula, physicians face a Medicare payment reduction annually, but Congress typically passes a measure to avoid the cut. However, lawmakers next year hope to permanently eliminate the cuts, possibly by rebasing the SGR formula. The plan currently being touted by lawmakers would remove the cost of physician-administered drugs from SGR and "save Congress the task of finding a way to pay for the move," CongressDaily reports. More
Health Insurers Protest $88.8 Billion 'Hidden Tax'
from Bloomberg, Dec. 9, 2008
Employers and private health insurers pay a “hidden tax” of $88.8 billion each year because government programs fail to pay enough to doctors and hospitals, an industry-sponsored study found. Inadequate reimbursements by programs such as Medicare and Medicaid increase the annual cost of covering a family of four by $1,788, according to the report, issued today by the actuarial consulting firm Milliman Inc. At hospitals, the payment gap between private and public insurance has more than doubled in 10 years, the Seattle-based firm said. More
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Negligent Homicide Case Against Physician Dismissed After Eight Years
from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dec. 9, 2008
Dr. Lydia Grotti, a former intensive care physician at John Peter Smith Hospital who was accused of causing the death of a patient eight years ago, is no longer facing prosecution or prison time. On Friday, more than two years after her conviction for criminally negligent homicide was overturned by a Texas appellate court, prosecutors decided not to try Grotti again. Her case was dismissed. "We are thrilled it is finally over, and we are thrilled that the system worked and justice prevailed," said Grotti’s attorney, Keith Ward. "The prosecutors gave it everything they had the first time, but the appellate courts said it wasn’t enough." Even though the criminal case against Grotti is over, she still cannot practice medicine."Her license was revoked when allegations were first made," said Ward, who defended Grotti with Brian Esenwein and Gary Richardson. "She has to make an application [to the Texas Medical Board] to get her license back. Whether she will or not, that will be up to another court to decide." More
Report: Texas Lags in Emergency Access, Health Insurance
from The Longview News-Journal, Dec. 9, 2008
Texas continues to lag the nation in providing access for its residents to emergency medical care while leading the nation in the number of people without health insurance. In a report released Tuesday morning, The American College of Emergency Physicians overall gave the state a "C" grade on emergency medical care issues. The group gave the state a failing mark for the access it provides residents to emergency medical care. The group said Texas has a shortage of primary care and emergency physicians and a larger portion of its population not covered with health insurance than the nation as a whole. More
State, Counties Need Plan to Restore UTMB
from The Houston Chronicle, Dec. 7, 2008
Before Hurricane Ike, the upper Texas Gulf Coast was already at the center of a storm — the crisis of unreimbursed medical care provided to working people and children not covered by health insurance. After Ike decimated UTMB in Galveston, the storm surge receded but other medical institutions in the region have been flooded by the patient case load displaced from this historic, invaluable Texas asset. UTMB serves several critical functions. It has educated a large percentage of practicing physicians in Texas. The medical school also is an important research institution, with state research dollars supplemented by federal grants and private gifts. UTMB provides clinical care, especially for patients requiring medical specialties to supplement the primary care offered by physicians in 40 counties in this region and elsewhere in the State. UTMB serves patients with private insurance, Medicare and Medicaid and provides unreimbursed services for patients who cannot afford to pay and have no insurance. More
Editorial: Health Insurance for All On Horizon?
from The Austin American-Statesman, Dec. 8, 2008
America's Health Insurance Plans, a trade group representing almost 1,300 health insurers, last week proposed a plan to reduce medical costs and use the savings - $500 million over five years - to achieve universal coverage. That, as they said, is a "bold target." Unfortunately, the health insurers did not offer specific ways to reduce rising medical costs that they projected at 6.6 percent a year. Instead, they proposed a public-private panel be established by Congress to find ways to reduce rising health care costs. But the insurers are right to put a spotlight on the need to get a grip on those rising costs and not just extend coverage to the uncovered. One aspect of their proposal will generate controversy within the states — to let insurers offer an "essential benefits" policy effective in all states at an affordable price and not subject to individual state mandates for covering this medical procedure or that test. More
Texas Drops to No. 46 in America's Health Rankings
from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dec. 4, 2008
With a fourth of Texans going without health insurance and a quarter of children living in poverty, Texas is among the worst states in a new ranking of Americans’ overall health. The state ranked No. 46, down from No. 37 last year, according to the annual report. The study - dubbed America’s Health Rankings - is produced by the UnitedHealth Foundation, the American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention. More
Daschle Also to Oversee New Health Reform Office
from Yahoo News, Dec. 11, 2008
Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle will pull double duty in the Obama administration, where he will serve not only as the Health and Human Services secretary but also oversee a new White House Office of Health Reform. A Democratic official familiar with the plans — to be announced Thursday in Chicago — said the additional appointment makes it clear that Daschle will coordinate efforts within the administration to overhaul the nation's health care system. More
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