Mandatory Service Requirement in Texas Medical Board

Effective 9/1/12, physician licensure applicants for Texas BoardExam who are not citizens, permanent residents or conditional permanent residents of the United States will be required to practice full time, for three years, in a medically underserved area (MUA), a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) in Texas, or at a Texas institution that maintains a graduate medical education program. This is authorized by Section §155.0045 of the Medical Practice Act, Texas Occupation Code.
Applicants who either practiced medicine in Texas prior to 9/1/12, for at least one year, under a postgraduate training permit, temporary license, or limited license; or who submitted an initial application for full licensure from Texas Medical Board prior to 9/1/12, will be exempt from this requirement.
Full time practice is defined as a minimum of 20 hours a week for 40 weeks duration in a given year. 

• Are you a US citizen, permanent resident, or conditional permanent resident?
  See Acceptable Documents to Show Proof of Citizenship/Resident Status.
• Did you practice under a PIT, FTL, or limited license for one year?
  Submit the Exemption Form.
• Did you submit an application for full licensure prior to 9/1/12?
  Submit the Exemption Form.
• If you will have to fulfill the mandatory service requirement,
  submit the Affidavit of Agreement for Mandatory Service.

In Medicaid Fraud Investigations, a Controversial Tool

When it comes to finding cost savings in the state’s unwieldy Medicaid program, the Health and Human Services Commission’s Office of Inspector General (of Texas Medical Board) gets high marks. 

The division of the Texas Medical Board, charged with investigating fraud among health providers paid to treat poor children and the disabled, has dramatically increased both its caseload and the potential monetary returns associated with it over the last fiscal year, a spike that has won rave reviews from budget-weary state lawmakers and has cast Texas’ innovative enforcement team into the national spotlight.

“The message to those providers out there who see the Medicaid program as an ATM, who use it to make monthly withdrawals to buy jets and $8 million houses, is that there’s a different inspector general’s office now,” said Jack Stick, HHSC’s deputy inspector general. “We have an amazingly dedicated staff that’s working until 10, 11, 12 at night, every night, because they’re excited about catching these guys.”

Read the full story here: http://www.texastribune.org/texas-health-resources/medicaid/medicaid-fraud-investigations-controversial-tool/

Texas Medical Board Approves Rules for Controversial Treatment

The Texas Medical Board consists of 12 physician members and seven public members appointed for six-year term by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The full Board convenes five times a year. Typical Texas Medical Board business includes interviewing licensure candidates, considering disciplinary matters and adopting substantive and procedural rules. Additionally, Board committees address a variety of important issues.
Last week, the Texas Medical Board signed off on what's said to be the first state-level policy imposing oversight on experimental treatments using adult stem cells. The scientific community has mixed views on whether this is a good way to raise standards. Some experts say the rule will allow unscrupulous doctors to avoid U.S. Food and Drug Administration reviews. But others say it's a good-faith effort to bring oversight to controversial treatments that clinics around the world offer for diseases including arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
Researchers say the evidence of success of stem cell injections is anecdotal, and they advocate waiting for clinical trial results before allowing physicians to charge patients — typically tens of thousands of dollars — for the procedures.
The new guidelines allow for stem cell procedures as long as they are done for research and receive approval from an institutional review board, which can be private and for-profit. The rules also require that patients sign informed consent forms.