NOTE: SB 1148 passed the House Public Health Committee 7-1 on Tuesday morning! Thanks for everyone's calls and emails.
The bill to prevent maintenance of certification (MOC) discrimination against Texas physicians’ hospital privileges and health plan contracts is stuck. Please call right now to get it unstuck.
Senate Bill 1148 says clearly that hospitals and health plans cannot rely solely on MOC to differentiate among physicians for payment, contracting, or credentialing. SB 1148 prohibits the state from using MOC as a requirement for state licensure or renewal.
The American Board of Medical Specialties, whose member boards administer the MOC tests, is spreading rumors that somehow this bill will put Texas patients “at greater risk of receiving substandard care.” Please take a few moments to put a stop to that rumor and keep SB 1148 moving. We don’t want it to die in the last 13 days of the 2017 Texas Legislature.
Urgent: Please call or email the members of the House Public Health Committee now. Ask them to vote “YES” on SB 1148.
Here are some talking points to use in your calls and emails:
- Please vote for Senate Bill 1148. It simply says hospitals and health plans cannot use MOC to differentiate among physicians for purposes of payment, contracting, or credentialing. SB 1148 also prohibits the state from using MOC as a requirement for state licensure or renewal. It does nothing else.
- SB 1148 includes provisions that allow MOC requirements if facilities or teaching faculty need them for specialty designation or accreditation.
- MOC is too expensive. Testing fees and materials, time away from practice, travel, and lost revenue may add up to more $10,000 for an individual physician.
- MOC requires physicians to take too much time away from our patients and our families.
- MOC lacks the research to document that it benefits patient care — in fact, many of my physician colleagues say the information studied and tested has little applicability to their day-to-day practice.
- Spending thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours away from our patients is no way to improve patient care.
The bill already has passed the Texas Senate, and the House Public Health Committee held a hearing on it last week. A vote is expected Tuesday. Make your voice heard now.
Last Updated On
May 16, 2017
Originally Published On
May 15, 2017