HOME / Featured News / HIGHLIGHTED NEWS
Landmark Legislation Passes Texas Senate
Rate This Article:
3
The Texas Chiropractic Association reports that on Thursday, April 14, 2011, the Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 1001. Says the Texas Chiropractic Association: "This landmark legislation is significant for two reasons: It allows chiropractors to form professional associations with medical doctors, and it ensures that chiropractors will be treated fairly by insurance companies that decide to cover services that can legally be provided by chiropractors and other types of practitioners. ...We have been trying to pass this type of legislation for more than 20 years."

The Senate Journal reflects that "Senator Carona offered the following amendment to the bill": These amendments include:

"A COLLABORATION BETWEEN PHYSICIANS AND CHIROPRACTORS. a person licensed under Subtitle B, Title 3, and a person licensed under Chapter 201 are authorized to: (1) collaborate with each other in providing services to a client ...."

Title 3 is the Health Professions portion of the Occupations Code.
Subtitle B relates to Physicians.
Chapter 201 of Subtitle C relates to Chiropractors.

"ASSOCIATIONS. (a) a person licensed under Subtitle B, Title 3, and a person licensed under Chapter 201 of this code may form a partnership, professional association, or professional limited liability company according to the requirements of this section and any other applicable law. (b) When persons licensed under Chapter 201 of this code form a professional entity with persons licensed under Subtitle B, Title 3 of this code, as provided by this section, the authority of each practitioner is limited by that practitioner's scope of practice, and a practitioner may not exercise control over another practitioner's clinical authority granted by the other practitioner's license, either through agreements, bylaws, directives, financial incentives, or other arrangements that would assert control over treatment decisions made by the practitioner. (c) The state agencies exercising regulatory control over professions to which this section applies continue to exercise regulatory authority over their respective licenses. (d) A person licensed under Subtitle B, Title 3 of this code, who forms a professional entity under this section shall report the formation of the entity and any material change in agreements, bylaws, directives, financial incentives, or other arrangements related to the operation of the entity to the Texas Medical Board no later than the 30th day after the entity is formed or the material change is made."

"If physical modalities and procedures are covered services under a health benefit plan and within the scope of the license of a chiropractor and one or more other type of practitioner, a health benefit issuer may not: (1) deny payment or reimbursement for physical modalities and procedures provided by a chiropractor if: (A) the chiropractor provides the modalities and procedures in strict compliance with laws and rules relating to a chiropractor's license; and (B) the health benefit plan issuer allows payment or reimbursement for the same physical modalities and procedures performed by another type of practitioner; (2) make payment or reimbursement for particular covered physical modalities and procedures within the scope of a chiropractor's practice contingent on treatment or examination by a practitioner that is not a chiropractor; or (3) establish other limitations on the provision of covered physical modalities and procedures that would prohibit a covered person from seeking the covered physical modalities and procedures from a chiropractor to the same extent that the covered person may obtain covered physical modalities and procedures from another type of practitioner."

The amendment was adopted, the Senate Journal reports, with "all members ... deemed to have voted 'Yea'" with the exception of one absent-excused Senator. The bill passed to the third reading by a vote of 30 yeas and 0 nays. On final reading the bill passed the Senate 30 to 0 with one senator excused-absent.

The TCA reports that "Dallas state Sen. John Carona deserves our thanks and praise for successfully guiding SB 1001 through the Senate. ... SB 1001 now goes to the Texas House, where it must also be approved."

The text of the final SB 1001 may be found HERE.

The House is noted has having received the bill from the Senate on April 15, 2011.

 
Post A Comment
* Indicates Required Field
Comment Title:
* Comments:
Nickname:
* Validation:
Most Recent Comments
 
 
FeaturedNews
Clinical Trial Data Should Be Open for Review
Published 04/30/2012 - 3:14 p.m.  CDT

Original clinical study reports, which contain far more detail than published randomized trials, should be made available to independent researchers seeking to verify efficacy and safety claims.

In support of this argument, the history of the influenza antiviral oseltamivir (Tamiflu), which was approved by the FDA in 1999, was cited. The widespread belief in oseltamivir's efficacy, was based on a meta-analysis of 10 trials conducted by the manufacturer prior to licensure.  But the authors pointed out that the FDA, which was aware of these clinical trials, concluded that oseltamivir had not been shown to reduce complications and required a statement on the drug's label to that effect.  Moreover, oseltamivir was not given an FDA indication for prevention of spread of influenza.

To this, [authors] commented, "If FDA is right, the drug's effectiveness may be no better than aspirin or acetaminophen.'"
...Read More
HR 329 in need of Co Sponsors
Published 04/30/2012 - 11:11 a.m.  CDT

Representative Bob Filner recently introduced the Chiropractic Care to All Veterans Act (H.R. 329). The bill would require the Veterans Administration (VA) to have a chiropractic physician on staff at all major VA medical facilities by 2014. You too can help ensure chiropractic care is available to those who have placed their lives in service to our country. H.R. 329 is in need of cosponsors to assist its likelihood of passage.

CLICK HERE to urge your legislators to cosponsor the bill.
...Read More
Court Sides with Generic-Drug Makers
Published 04/25/2012 - 6:33 a.m.  CDT

In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled that generic drugmaker Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories can sue Novo Nordisk for what Caraco says are exaggerated descriptions of the scope of patents Novo Nordisk holds on a diabetes drug.

A group of Democratic senators has introduced a bill that would allow people to sue generic drugmakers over failing to update their drug labels to include all known risks. The bill is meant to counter last year's Supreme Court decision in a generic drug dispute.
...Read More
Reader Login
Username:
Password:
 Save Login?
Free Sign-up
Forgot Password?
Reader Control Panel

The TCA Web sites will be under going change in the next few weeks.  Please bear with us while we complete some improvements.

Original clinical study reports, which contain far more detail than published randomized trials, should be made available to independent researchers seeking to verify efficacy and safety claims.

In support of this argument, the history of the influenza antiviral oseltamivir (Tamiflu), which was approved by the FDA in 1999, was cited. The widespread belief in oseltamivir's efficacy, was based on a meta-analysis of 10 trials conducted by the manufacturer prior to licensure.  But the authors pointed out that the FDA, which was aware of these clinical trials, concluded that oseltamivir had not been shown to reduce complications and required a statement on the drug's label to that effect.  Moreover, oseltamivir was not given an FDA indication for prevention of spread of influenza.

To this, [authors] commented, "If FDA is right, the drug's effectiveness may be no better than aspirin or acetaminophen.'"

The Kilgore College Small Business Development Center (SBDC) will sponsor an educational seminar for medical office staff, including office managers and billing staff, entitled Basic Workers’ Compensation for Medical Office Staff on Wednesday, May 2, 2012.

Representative Bob Filner recently introduced the Chiropractic Care to All Veterans Act (H.R. 329). The bill would require the Veterans Administration (VA) to have a chiropractic physician on staff at all major VA medical facilities by 2014. You too can help ensure chiropractic care is available to those who have placed their lives in service to our country. H.R. 329 is in need of cosponsors to assist its likelihood of passage.

CLICK HERE to urge your legislators to cosponsor the bill.

An $8 billion Medicare demonstration program is poorly designed and should be cancelled, the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) said. The program is designed to reward the highest-quality Medicare Advantage plans, but instead pays out most of its award money to mediocre plans, according to a report.


Ethiopia and Kenya Trips.  Have you ever wanted to provide chiropractic care in another country and give back to those in need?

Dr. Teresa Jones has been volunteering on mission trips to Africa for 4 years and is reaching out to the District 5 for help this year. There are two chances to participate, both in July 2012 and if you are interested please RSVP to frontdesk@wholehealth-care.com to let her know you area interested!


The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Initiative (PCORI), established by the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, has set five priorities as the group's research agenda for the coming years, with the overall goal of advancing clinical effectiveness research. …. the priorities [are] as follows...

Girls who face multiple social stressors at home as toddlers are more likely to be obese by age 5, researchers found.

Nonpharmacologic pain management appears to be safe for mother and baby, although there is limited published evidence to explain its efficacy, according to a Cochrane Review.

There is more data to support the ef?cacy of pharmacologic pain management, such as epidurals and opioids, but these methods lead to more adverse effects.  This reports reports upon some of these
Regulators on both sides of the Atlantic were slow to inform patients and their doctors about problems with metal-on-metal hip implants and relied on industry officials and consultants in crafting their responses.

Complications included high failure rates and possible systemic effects from elevated metal ion levels in the blood.  An advisory has been issued to surgeons, telling them that patients who have received metal-on-metal implants should have annual checkups for life. The evaluations should include testing for metal ions in the blood as well as for clinical symptoms of device failure.