Volume 112, Number 11 — November 2016
COVER STORY (pages 28-35)
On Trial
Defense attorneys who represent physicians at the Texas Medical Board's (TMB's) informal settlement conferences (ISCs) say that over time the format of the hearings has become similar to that of an administrative hearing, without the guaranteed accompanying protections. In scathing written comments the Texas Medical Association submitted to TMB in response to the board's proposed ISC rules, TMA said ISCs have become "more and more formal, prescriptive, and regulated," without giving physicians a fair forum to defend themselves. By Joey Berlin
PUBLIC HEALTH (pages 39-44)
A Preemptive Weapon
In 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which can prevent patients from getting the virus. But the news didn't reach every corner of Texas, and many at high risk for HIV don't know PrEP exists or how to access it. By Joey Berlin
ECONOMICS (pages 47-53)
Embittered Backlog
TMA's Payment Advocacy Department has received complaints from several physicians that three of the state's biggest health plans are taking up to eight months to credential them. Without successful credentialing, physician payment for medical services can be delayed and even denied. By Jessica Martin
REFLECTIONS (pages 56-61)
Walking the Walk
A Houston palliative care and hospice physician shares her family's experience caring for her father, who had a terminal illness, in this special four-part series originally published on TMA's MeAndMyDoctor blog. By Ana Leech, MD
JOURNAL
Mental Health Services in Texas Jails By Emilie Attwell Becker, MD
DEPARTMENTS
Fact (page 7)
Focus On: Smoking (pages 8-9)
Commentary: Hepatitis C Screening, Treatment: A Public Health Priority By Barbara J. Turner, MD; Barbara Riske; Laura L. Tenner, MD; and David L. Lakey, MD (pages 13-14)
Commentary: Epidural Use Disparities by Spanish-Speaking Patients in Labor By Estevan A. Apodaca, MD, and Swati B. Avashia, MD (pages 17-18)
Rounds (pages 21-26)
Newsmakers (page 25)
Deaths (page 26)
Back Talk (page 64)
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