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  by Anonymous |

  Feb 20, 2008(2 months ago) |

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  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

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  by Anonymous |

  Apr 03, 2008(about 1 month ago) |

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

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  by Anonymous |

  Apr 17, 2008(about 1 month ago) |

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  This Senator is clueless.

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