For many of the nearly two dozen residents who participated in the last virtual First Tuesdays at the Capitol event of this session, the meetings with Texas lawmakers were their first foray into such education efforts. Their informed passion and insights would have you believe they were seasoned pros.
Of particular importance to this group of emergency medicine program residents were funding for graduate medical education and loan repayments, mental health, and prior authorization. The physicians-in-training shared their experiences and concerns with staff members for Sens. Dawn Buckingham, MD (R-Lakeway), Charles Schwertner, MD (R-Georgetown), and Sarah Eckhardt (D-Austin), as well as Reps. Gina Hinojosa (D-Austin), Donna Howard (D-Austin), and Celia Israel (D-Austin).
“Boarding mental health patients in an emergency room for days or weeks while in a mental health crisis can be disastrous. The environment is loud and chaotic and the last place individuals in crisis should be,” explained Nora Demchur, MD, an outgoing chief resident. “This also impacts our ability to care for other emergency patients.”
First-year resident Sarah Shaw, MD, added, “Prior authorization for psychiatric patients is fraught with the potential for harm. Long-acting injectables would be best for mental health patients in crisis, but they require prior authorization, which is detrimental to their care.”
The physicians-in-training also discussed specific legislation, including:
- Senate Bill 672 by Senator Buckingham, which would implement a mental health collaborative care model in Medicaid;
- House Bill 133 by Rep. Toni Rose (D-Dallas), which would provide 12 months of Medicaid postpartum care for women;
- House Bill 1646 by Rep. Stan Lambert (R-Abilene), which prohibits switching stable patients off their medication for nonmedical reasons; and
- House Bill 2241 by Rep. Tom Oliverson, MD (R-Cypress), which protects the prudent layperson standard.
Residents closed by educating lawmakers on the need to improve health care access.
“We see patients in the emergency room who can’t go anywhere else, when they’re sicker than they would have been if they had been able to get care when first needed,” Dr. Demchur said. “This burdens and costs the entire health care system. All patients deserve better.”
Last Updated On
May 13, 2021
Originally Published On
May 12, 2021