Texas Medical Board Disciplines 45 Physicians

The Texas Medical Board announced it’s taking action against dozens of doctors across the state who’ve failed patients in one way or another.

The agency releases a roundup every quarter, and the latest one lists 45 physicians , including three who had their licenses revoked.

The offenses include: pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, not releasing medical records in a timely manner, pleading guilty to driving while intoxicated and using another name to work more than 80 hours per week.

“The board is very thorough and can be very unforgiving,” said Dr. Jesse Moss, Jr., a surgeon and former chairman of the Texas Medical Association Board of Councilors, which works closely with TMB and the Texas board exam . He’s also a past president of the Bexar County Medical Society.

The Board found Dr. Kolawole Odulaja, who practices geriatrics in San Antonio, “prescribed controlled substances nontherapeutically to a patient.” The agency entered into an agreement with him, “publicly reprimanding Dr. Odulaja and requiring him to have his practice monitored by another physician for 16 consecutive monitoring cycles.” He must also take a medical exam, complete 48 hours of coursework and pay an administrative penalty of $5,000.

A message left at his office was not returned Thursday. The office of his legal counsel, Bruce Anderson, said Odulaja had no comment.


Read More: https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/texas-medical-board-disciplines-45-physicians

Full Texas Medical Exam License

The Texas Medical Board issues a full unrestricted medical license to qualified physicians to practice medicine in Texas and cleared the Texas Medical Exam.  Applicants who do not qualify for a full medical license may qualify for a limited license or permit.  The Licensure Department of the Texas Medical Board is committed to furthering the mission of the Board by ensuring quality healthcare for the citizens of Texas by upholding the standards set in statute and Board Rule, and by efficiently processing licensure applications.

Before You Apply

Individuals considering applying for a full medical license should check the website for more information about eligibility, the application process, and the required documentation and fees before submitting their applications.  Please note that Texas has a two-step application process – screening and licensing.  During screening, the applicant’s documents are collected and the applicant will be updated as to which documents have been received and are missing through the Licensure Inquiry System of Texas (LIST) .  Only after all the documents have been received is the application considered complete and the licensing step may begin.  During licensing, a licensure analyst will review and verify all the information contained in the application and the supporting documentation.  More information will be requested by a licensure analyst if the previously submitted documentation is not complete and/or contains errors.

Read More: http://www.tmb.state.tx.us/page/full-medical-license

Texas medical board rejects rule restricting ‘distance’ counseling

After receiving overwhelming opposition from counselors, a Texas regulatory board scrapped a proposed rule Wednesday that would have required an in-person session before a physician could provide “distance” services, such as a video call. It will be applicable to all the physicians who passed the Texas board exam to get their license.

In addition, the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors said it didn’t see problems indicating the rule was needed, said Steven Christopherson, chairman of the board’s rules committee.

“We haven’t really seen a pattern of complaints,” he told the board. “Show us a pattern of complaints, we’ll show you a rule.”

The rules committee took up the rule earlier in the day and agreed it wasn’t needed. “There’s very little support for this rule,” Christopherson said at that meeting. The Texas Medical Board pointed out that not allowing the use of technology for counseling clients in rural areas where health professionals are sparse could cause fewer people to seek help.

The rule was proposed for safety reasons, so physicians could get a better handle on who they are treating, he told the Statesman. It was similar to a rule proposed three years ago and withdrawn in the face of strong opposition.

Using technology to provide medical and counseling services at a distance, often with the provider in an office and the patient at home, is accelerating nationally, with many private insurers covering the care. But physician and mental health providers of what is called telemedicine, or telehealth, said Texas boards are moving against the tide.


Read More: http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/texas-board-rejects-rule-restricting-distance-coun/nqcLX/

Texas Medical Board & Exam

The mission of the Texas Medical Board is to protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare by establishing and maintaining standards of excellence used in regulating the practice of medicine and ensuring quality health care for the citizens of Texas through license, discipline, and education.

Texas Board Exam provides health care professionals (especially physicians) an online test of the core material (like the In-Training Examination or In Training Exam) provided by the Texas Medical Board on the Texas Medical Jurisprudence Examination required for medical licensure. This exam will strengthen medico-legal knowledge .

Board certified physicians focus their practice in a particular specialty of medicine. A board certified physician takes the same route to achieve a medical degree as a doctor who's not board certified. The difference happens after the physician has received her medical degree and license. The board certified physician continues her education and volunteers to take the certifying board’s examination. Board certified status serves as a great marketing tool for the physician operating his small business.

Read More:  http://www.pearsonvue.com/tx/medicalboard/

The Texas Medical Board Meeting 2014

At its Aug. 29, 2014 meeting, the Texas Medical Board  disciplined 41 licensed physicians and issued three cease and desist orders.

The disciplinary actions included seven orders related to quality of care violations, three orders related to unprofessional conduct, three revocations, seven voluntary surrenders, four suspensions, one order related to peer review actions, two orders related to other states’ actions, two orders related to nontherapeutic prescribing, three orders related to inappropriate prescribing, four orders related to violation of prior board order, one order related to violation of Board rules, one order related to Texas Physician Health Program violations, and three orders related to inadequate medical records. The Board also took disciplinary action against two pain management clinics and a surgical assistant.

The Board issued 244 physician licenses at the August meeting after the Texas board exam , bringing the total number of physician licenses issued in FY14 to 3,994 (for the EM physicians who passed the In-service Exam or Inservice Examination) .

The Texas Medical Board is the state agency mandated to regulate the practice of medicine by M.D.'s and D.O.'s in Texas. It is located in Austin, Texas, and consists of 12 physician members and seven public members appointed for a six-year term by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The full Board is required to meet at least four times a year, but customarily convenes five times a year. Typical Board business includes interviewing licensure candidates, considering disciplinary matters and adopting substantive and procedural rules. Additionally, Board committees address a variety of important issues.


Reference: http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/ranch/news/texas-medical-board-disciplines-physicians-at-august-meeting/article_40d481bb-714c-506b-93ff-8f4b4e0a1b6a.html

Texas Medical Board Adopts Rules Required by SB 406 to Ease Supervision of PAs and APRNs

The 83rd Texas Legislature passed legislation to simplify the process by which physicians supervise and delegate to Physician Assistants (PAs) and Advance Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs). This article summarizes the rules recently adopted by the Texas Medical Board (TMB) to implement SB 406 (83R). The major changes effectuated by these rules are the removal of site-based restrictions and the addition of prescriptive authority agreements, whereby physicians can more effectively engage PAs and APRNs in collaborative practice. These are very important points for the physicians taking the Texas board exam.

New Terms and Phrases.  The final rules scrap the definition for Medically Underserved Area and instead define a practice serving a medically underserved population. Other defined terms and phrases shift the focus of the rules governing delegation:  hospital, medication order, physician group practice, prescriptive authority agreement, device, and facility-based practice site, to highlight a few. The final rules do not change the definition for a standing delegation order, except to point out that a standing delegation order and a prescriptive authority agreement are separate and distinct as defined by the rule.

Expanded Delegation of Prescribing and Ordering Drugs and Devices.  Under SB 406, physicians may now delegate the prescribing or ordering of Schedule II controlled substances in a hospital facility-based practice, consistent with hospital policy, if the patient has been admitted to the hospital for 24 hours or longer or if the patient is receiving services in the emergency department. Physicians may also delegate the prescribing of Schedule II drugs as part of a plan of care for a terminal patient receiving hospice treatment from a qualified hospice provider. Otherwise, the final rule retains the current limits on a physician’s authority to delegate the prescribing or ordering of a drug or device.




Reference:
http://www.wallerlaw.com/News-Events/Bulletins/118502/Texas-Medical-Board-Adopts-Rules-Required-by-SB-406-to-Ease-Supervision-of-PAs-and-APRNs

Governor Perry Appoints Eight to Texas Medical Board

Gov. Rick Perry has appointed eight members to the Texas Medical Board. The Texas Medical Board is the state agency mandated to regulate the practice of medicine in Texas through Texas Board Exam and consists of 12 physician members and seven public members appointed for a six-year term by the governor.

A prominent Indian American heart surgeon has been appointed to this board. Dr. Devinder Bhatia of Houston has been appointed to the Texas Medical Board for a six-year term along with seven others.

Dr. Bhatia is a board certified thoracic surgeon and president of Southeast Texas Cardiovascular P.A. He is a former clinical assistant professor in the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery. He is a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Society for Vascular Surgery, and Southern Thoracic Surgical Association. He is also a member of the Peripheral Vascular Surgery Society, Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery, Michael E. DeBakey International Surgical Society, and Houston Northwest Medical Center Executive Committee. Bhatia received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas and a medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and completed his cardiothoracic and peripheral vascular surgery fellowships at Carolinas Medical Center. He is appointed for a term to expire on April 13, 2019.


Reference:
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/ranch/news/gov-perry-appoints-eight-to-texas-medical-board/article_5668f36b-1602-5ab5-bac4-d5a2ff63f315.html