Table of Contents: December 2009



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Vol. 105, Issue No. 12 - December 2009

 

COVER STORY (pages 12-20)

Rising From the Storm
Officials at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) made all the preparations they could, but they were not prepared for the tremendous devastation Hurricane Ike dealt to their campus last year. The 100-plus mile-per-hour winds did little damage, but the storm surge flooded more than 1 million square feet of ground-floor space throughout the campus, destroying millions of dollars in medical equipment and crippling vital infrastructure. UTMB is still struggling to put all the pieces back together. By Ken Ortolon

 

LAW   (pages 27-33)

Don't Be a Jerk
A new Joint Commission standard requires hospitals and other health care organizations to develop a code of conduct that defines acceptable and disruptive or inappropriate behavior by physicians and other health professionals.  By Crystal Conde

 

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS (pages 35-39)

Run, Doctor, Run?
TMA and the Texas Medical Association Political Action Committee encourage physicians and alliance members to run for public office. They hope to help elect several newcomers in 2010. By Ken Ortolon

 

PRACTICE MANAGEMENT (pages 41-46)

Practice Makeover
Is your medical practice not operating as smoothly as it should? Are you not making the revenue you expected? If the answer to either is yes, contact the experts at TMA Practice Consulting. By Crystal Conde

 

MEDICAL ECONOMICS (pages 49-52)

Sign 'Em Up
Two Texas organizations have received federal grants to sign up more children for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program. By Ken Ortolon

 

PUBLIC HEALTH (pages 55-60)

EPT Permitted
The Texas Medical Board has changed its rules to   allow physicians to use expedited partner therapy in stopping the spread of chlamydia and gonorrhea. By Crystal Conde

 

Smoke & Mirrors (pages 21-24)
This special photo essay highlights an exhibit of powerful and chilling images and artifacts reflecting more than a century of tobacco ads, promotions, and news coverage that is on display in the History of Medicine Gallery in the TMA building in Austin.

 

ROUNDS (pages 5-9)

Medicaid, Medicare to Reimburse for H1N1
TDI Offers Workers' Comp Help by Phone
Blue Cross Doctor Data Stolen
TPHP Governing Board Appointed
Honor a Science Teacher
Failure to Monitor Patient's Anticoagulation Therapy
My 50 Years of Fun: My Medical Practice
Ask the TMA Knowledge Center

 

DEPARTMENTS

Information for Authors (page 61)
Deaths (page 63)
MedBytes (page 64)

 

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