I have discussed the worsening situation with the State Board of Texas with many others and we all agree something must be done but organizing physicians is like “herding cats”. I am sure Texas is not unique in this issue and many other states will be interested in what we do. With the increasing rules passed by the board without input by the bulk of the physicians in the state, the board has become an over regulating, over reactive “bull dozer” rolling over good physicians over minor rule violations. In fact many of the rules should not even exist. We, as good caring physicians, do not need more and more intrusive government invading into our practices. We all do a nearly impossible job on a daily basis by treating the various simple to extremely complicated patients who walk through our doors and those we see in the hospital. As one attorney once put it “who else is asked to put their finger up someone’s ass and tell them what’s wrong with them!” “You do an impossible job in an impossible environment and held to impossible standards.” We all want the best for our patients and most physicians truly try their best. We are all human and make mistakes, but do those mistakes require the public embarrassment, financial penalties, unreasonable monitoring and Gestapo like attack by our board? I don’t think so and I hope you and others agree.

Our state board was designed to license good physicians and to protect the public from dangerous physicians. But now the extensive rules that have been passed over the years, even encompassing poor hand writing, have become excessive and unnecessary. Minor violations generate board investigations and reviews. Most physicians feel helpless against “city hall” and simply rollover and accept the excessively punitive agreed orders they are presented. The high cost of legal defense is not affordable by many of the physicians who are wrongfully attacked and so accept the penalty despite the injustice. This unchallenged attack of many of us and our colleagues across the state has set a dangerous precedence. The board has subsequently become more and more aggressive and pulls in physicians for hearings with little provocation.

The worse part of all of this is the physicians are practicing more and more defensive medicine, not because of malpractice issues but because of board issues. I myself am spending more and more time with my charts and not with my patients. I can’t listen to my patients because my head is in the chart making sure I write enough to satisfy the board so they will not punish me. I am all for good documentation but there is a point in which it becomes excessive and for defense purpose and not good medicine. More and more physicians are now using electronic medical records to CYA. They can simply press a button and print out a massive note, consult or report that covers all requirements weather they actually completed the exam or not. The citizens of the state of Texas are suffering the fall out that this board attitude has created. Well meaning Physicians have been attacked so much that they and their colleagues no longer prescribe some life improving medications, over utilize expensive lab and x-ray tests and refer out to high cost specialist to cover their rears. How many of you will NOT write pain medications any longer and thus allow your patients to suffer needlessly, because of the aggressive attacks by the board on you or your colleagues?

I have talked to attorneys for the state board and they, off the record, have given me the direction necessary to effect the changes we all know needs to occur in Austin. My dilemma is getting the word out to the majority of physicians in the state to openly discuss debate and consider action necessary to improve the function of the board and thus improve the healthcare in the state of Texas. None of us want bad or dangerous doctors practicing medicine but we equally don’t want to be attacked or see our brethren attacked needlessly and punitively over minor issues. By opening up a forum that all the physicians in Texas can discuss this issue we can hopefully improve the way the board functions and thus improve healthcare to all citizens of the state of Texas.

I am asking you to contact me, your colleagues; your state representatives and senators so that we may affect a positive change in the way the board functions and the practice of medicine in the state of Texas. This is a very serous call to ARMS! If we do not act now we may all be victims of this abuse. We must stand united or we will surely fall divided.

I have much more to share if you will contact me.

Sincerely,

Michael D. Williams, D.O.
mdwilliamsdo@pol.net
cell 214-908-3550

Look around in your state and push for the unemployment insurance extension. Your fellow Texans need it.

This Senator is clueless.

I am disgusted in the vote you showed for the bail out bill. So what "pork project" did you get bribed with to vote aye? How dare you allow such a bill pass. I realize along with 90% of Americans the consequenses of not "acting" on the bail out. If the American people or at least the one who pays their taxes and payes their bills on time are willing to take the "colapse" head on, then allow it do so. We are the people not you selected fiew who put off the impression that you represent the people and our best interest. You just made a deal with the devil and he collects on his terms not the "Federal Governments" terms. Your vote along with all the others have just allowed Socialism further into America. So, get ready because the days of the "United States of America" are numbered, we will soon be called the "Socialist Republic of the United State." Think about it. It is time to start voting on principle and not what you and your speicial interests can get out of it.

STOP SPENDING TAXPAYER MONEY! IF IT REQUIRES FINANCING, IT REQUIRES MY MONEY. AND I JUST SAID NO!

THE STIMULUS PACKAGE IS MORE FAT THAN STIMULUS. JUST VOTE NO!

Help defeat HR45.

Having owned guns for over 50 years, I have never used them against anyone (nor plan to) but would if forced within the confines of my own property with justification such as protecting my family from bodily harm. If I cannot protect my family and property by myself then I know the Police can't be there fast enough to keep home intruders at bay. A lot can happen in the 5-15 mins for the police requires to respond. I am pretty sure I could stop a intruder long enough for the police to arrive if I had a gun. I am too old to use other means to protect myself such as a Bat or knife.

I think this Bill HR 45 will just increase the black-market for guns and make the ones we have more valuable. It’s kind of like the Drug Market... they are against the law and the market is very profitable for them. This bill will not stop crime.... criminals will have guns.

you don't have to shoot intruders and trouble makers to in order to make them think twice before committing an act of aggression. Just show them your armed too.

HR 45 is not taking the nation the right direction basically because we don't trust the government to stop there. Read up on what happened in Britain... they don't have firearms and crime has increased and the people are outraged and defenseless.

ERGEMT: SEN. HUTCHINSON: I DO NOT KNOW IF A BILL SIMILAR TO HR 45 IS BEING CONCIDERED IN THE SENATE OR NOT. BUT I ASK THAT YOU USE YOUR INFLUENCE TO STOP ANY SUCH ACTION. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT THIS TYPE OF LEGISLATION DOES NOT MOVE FORWARD.

I urge you to please use your influence to stop any gun control legislation, such as the HR-45, that would infringe on our rights as citizens of this great United States of America. Our Bill of Rights are a part of why we are such a great nation. Thank you.

I am very concerned about my 2nd amendment right to bear arms. Our society is fraught with criminals and the safety of our family is in our own hands. I am concerned that my right to protect myself, and my children from an intruder is about to be taken from me lest, I agree to unannounced government searches upon my home. Neither choice is acceptable. Please help us fight to protect our right to protect ourselves. We do not need more government. We need more people in office to protect the rights we already have. I am counting on you to be one of those people.

Sunnydayz, I couldn't have said it better myself. There is enough government interference in our lives without having them coming into our homes.

I can't believe you voted for HR2454. Let's vote her out in 2012. We don't want you for Govnor either. You have been in Washington too long!!!

I AGREE......I HAVE NEVER BE INVOLVED IN POLITICS UNTIL MY HUSBAND WAS DIAGNOSIS WITH TERMINAL CANCER AND BEGAN TO WATCH CSPN. I WAS AND AM SHOCKED AT YOUR ARROGANT BEHAVIOR. I ALSO BELIEVE YOU AND MS. SNOW NEED TO SKIP LUNCH AND READ THE CONSTITUTION. WE THE PEOPLE HAVE HAD ENOUGH!!!!!
1) NO PUBLIC OPTION
2) NO ILLEGAL ALIENS SHOULD SHARE THE WEALTH
3) CLOSE THE BORDERS
4) IMPEACH THE MARXIST

YOU REALLY NEED TO STAY IN WASHINGTON AND REGAIN THE CONFIDENCE OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS. WE ARE FORGIVING, HOWEVER WE WILL NOT LAY DOWN OUR ARMS AND WILL NOT LET YOU REVOKE OUR CONSTITUTION. NOW GET BACK TO WORK AND MAKE US PROUD.....QUIT PLAYING PETTY POLITICAL GAMES !

These bills are not anti-constitutional by any stretch of the imagination. It should be a right, not a privilege to have affordable healthcare coverage. There are far too many lies out there about what these bills will or will not do. Americans deserve quality healthcare and should not be denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions. How sad is it that as a country many of us accept the fact that when people are sick and cannot get coverage due to a pre-existing condition, we have come to just accept it.

If these bills are unconstitutional, then the same argument should be made about being forced to have car insurance, or wear seat-belts but nobody makes that argument because it would be ridiculous. The same should be true for basic health insurance. Those without coverage are driving up the costs for the rest of us.

Your husband has cancer and you don't support fixing our broken healthcare system?

The concept of comparing health insurance to car insurance is ludacris! You don't have to own a care therefore you don't have to have car insurance which mandates liability and comprehensive coverage of damage by your use of the car on tax payer supported highway systems, on the otherhand it is your God given right to live! so by comparing car insurance to health insurance you mean that it is the Governments duty to assign a intrinsic value to your life as it would damages to a car. The concept of basic health insurance is already in existance, it is called the emergency room. I have no need nor desire to be told to purchase health insurance by someone that lives in never never land aka. washington D.C. 2,000 miles away, which determines how I should live and eat. I would hope you cherish the liberty to think for yourself as much as I do.

American needs Health Care Reform with a Public Option. Insurance companies have a monopoly and needs competition to drive costs down. Congress has had over 40 years to get it right. We need it now.

Our beloved country, land of the free and home of the brave, is disappearing right before our very eyes! Would ANYBODY have even DREAMED 10 years ago, that our politicians would even be CONSIDERING some of the bloated, anti-constitutional bills they have been PASSING?? The US dollar is on the brink of collapse, China and many other debtors are bailing on it, and the FED just keeps on printing!! This senator has helped to usher in inflation, corruption, greed, socialism, marxism, and ultimately communism. If we continue down the road we are headed, we will be a police state in less than 3 years. The USD will be non-existent; our sovereignty dissolved with the stroke of "progressive" (which is code for communistic) pens....all for the good of the collective. There IS no right or left! There is either AMERICAN, or anti-American!!

The voters will hold all of you accountable come Election Day for selling THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO China by passing and letting your other brethren to pass bills we cannot afford. I think the first spending cut should be in politician’s salaries. However, I am just one man with only one vote but I am not the only one who feels this way and you all in DC will reap what you sew come Election Day.

I am from Texas and would like you to support the Internet Preservation Act, H.R.3458.