Table of Contents -- December 2001



Texas Medicine Logo(1)

Vol. 97 No. 12  

Cover Story  

Hold, Please
Are you and your office staff frustrated by busy signals or sick of waiting on hold if you do get through when you call an insurance company? You're not alone. Problems in getting through to insurance companies are among the most frequent complaints TMA hears from physicians when they send in a Hassle Factor Log form. Texas Medicine undertook an unscientific survey to call some of the companies identified by physicians as being the worst offenders, plus a couple of companies that had better records. The results are interesting.

By Walt Borges

Legislative Affairs  

Prompt Pay One More Time
The saga continues. A special legislative committee has been appointed to study the extent of the problem physicians are having in getting insurance companies to pay their claims on time. The committee also will look at the impact prompt pay problems are having on patients' access to care. Meanwhile, TMA is gearing up to push for passage of another prompt pay bill in the next session of the legislature.

By Ken Ortolon

Law  

W orkers' Comp Win
Thanks in large part to lobbying by TMA, the Texas Workers' Compensation Commission has pulled down that controversial proposed fee schedule developed by Milliman USA, the same folks that brought you practice guidelines. But a lawsuit wending its way through the courts raises some interesting questions about how Milliman was chosen to come up with the fee schedule in the first place.

By Walt Borges

Public Health

Meet Commissioner Sanchez
Austin physician Eduardo Sanchez, MD, has taken over the reins of the Texas Department of Health as the state's health commissioner. He says the events of Sept. 11 and the tropical storm that devastated the Houston area earlier this year prove that the state's public health foundation needs to be remodeled.

By Laurie Stoneham

Science

Expanding Telemedicine
It's not a Star Wars idea anymore. Using telemedicine technology as a tool to treat patients is becoming an increasingly accepted way to provide health care to patients in rural or other remote areas in Texas. A new law passed by the last session of the legislature will expand the scope of telemedicine and establish a framework for regulating telemedicine and reimbursing for telemedicine services.

By Laurie Stoneham

The Journal  

Alzheimer's Disease: Recent Advances in Etiology, Diagnosis, and Management (abstract)

By M. Basheer Ahmed, MD

Rounds  

Border health study * Winter conference preview * Medicaid foster care * Clinical resource guide * Physician directory additions * MedBytes * Contract Clause * Medicaid foster care * Readership survey begins * In Case You Missed It

Departments  

Editor's Note
Commentary
People
Information for Authors
Physicians' Referral Directory
Classified Directory
Healthy Ending                        

Texas Medicine Back Issues