Vol. 96 No. 5
Cover Story
Texas research
When it comes to research, Texas is clearly a leader. Scientists in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Amarillo, Lubbock, College Station, Tyler, and other cities are trying to cure cancer, decipher the complex human genome, prevent heart disease, and develop new treatments for everything from Alzheimer's disease to tuberculosis. It's good medicine and, for some schools, good business.
By Laurie Stoneham
Law
HMO liability
The fate of Texas' 1997 landmark law granting patients the right to sue health maintenance organizations now rests in the hands of a federal appeals court. In March, a three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in a lawsuit by insurers challenging the law. The case could reach the US Supreme Court and go a long way in determining the outcome of managed care reform efforts.
By Alice Adams
Legislative Affairs
Antitrust relief
Health plans and their business allies have launched an intensive lobbying effort campaign to kill it, but the so-called "Campbell Bill" is still alive in Congress. Sponsored by California Rep Thomas Campbell, the bill would make sure that physicians negotiating a contract with health plans are treated the same as any bargaining unit recognized by the National Labor Relations Board. It sailed out of the House Judiciary Committee with an overwhelming vote in late March.
By Ken Ortolon
Medical Economics
Research economics
It's one of those win-win situations we often hear about but seldom see. Medical research in Texas is not only advancing the science of medicine, but it also is becoming one of the state's biggest employers and generating billions of dollars in revenues for both the public and private sector.
By Johanna Franke
Public Health
Real world research
They may not get all the headlines or money that scientists in some of the high-tech, high-profile research projects do, but public health researchers are conducting studies that affect people's everyday lives. They work in relative anonymity, but as one scientist put it, "A positive public health event is a non-event. People have to learn that things are good when things are quiet, and we're the people trying to ensure that quiet."
By Johanna Franke
The Journal
By Gilbert Handal, MD; Marie-Martine Logvinoff, MD; Narcedallis Zegarra, MD; Luz Allen, MD; Antonio Jesurun, MD; Garrett Levin, MD; Aye Thida, MD
Commentary: Fen-phen manufacturers, not physicians, are liable
By Scott Allen, JD; Jay Henderson, JD
Texas Medicine Rounds
Pack up for San Antonio * TEXPAC's primary wins * Med schools online * CME program a winner * Dateline Health * Preventing heart disease * Driving while hazy
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