June 16, 2017
Statements by Carlos J. Cardenas, MD, president of the Texas Medical
Association (TMA), and Ray Callas, MD, a member of TMA’s Board of Trustees, in
reaction to Gov. Greg Abbott having signed Senate Bill 1148 into law on
Thursday. SB 1148 pertains to maintenance of certification requirements for
physicians.
“TMA strongly applauds Governor Abbott for
signing into law Senate Bill 1148, lessening the grip maintenance of certification
(MOC) requirements have had on Texas physicians.
“Nothing
angers our fellow physicians like the MOC process as administered by some of
our national specialty boards. Many physicians see it as an unnecessary — and
very costly — distraction from caring for their patients, while doing too
little to improve patient care. In fact, MOC lacks sufficient research to
document the benefits to patient care.
“Instead, Texas physicians already must and
do meet rigorous continuing medical education standards, including specific
training regarding medical ethics. We willingly seek out these specialty-specific
medical courses to stay sharp on current topics that are most relevant to caring
for our patients.”
— Carlos J. Cardenas, MD, TMA president
“SB 1148 is a very important piece of
legislation for Texas physicians and for our ability to continue to attract
good physicians to our growing state.
“TMA’s policymaking body strongly voted to
lessen MOC’s hold over Texas doctors. Governor Abbott’s signature on this bill completes
that effort.
“We thank Sen. Dawn Buckingham, MD, and Rep.
Greg Bonnen, MD, for their leadership in crafting a law to help Texas
physicians better care for our patients.”
— Ray Callas, MD, member, TMA’s Board of
Trustees and immediate past chair of TMA’s Council on Legislation
TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation, representing
more than 50,000 physician and medical student members. It is located in Austin
and has 110 component county medical societies around the state. TMA’s key
objective since 1853 is to improve the health of all Texans.
--30--
Contact:
Brent Annear (512) 370-1381; cell: (512) 656-7320; email: brent.annear[at]texmed[dot]org
Marcus
Cooper (512) 370-1382; cell: (512) 650-5336; email: marcus.cooper[at]texmed[dot]org
Check
out MeAndMyDoctor.com for
interesting and timely news on health care issues and policy.