By Place                                        H.B. No. 3348

      75R8179 GJH-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the definition of physician in regard to medical

 1-3     liability.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 1.03(a)(8), Medical Liability and

 1-6     Insurance  Improvement Act of Texas (Article 4590i, Vernon's Texas

 1-7     Civil Statutes), is amended to read as follows:

 1-8                 (8)  "Physician" means:

 1-9                       (A)  an individual [a person] licensed to

1-10     practice medicine in this state;

1-11                       (B)  a professional association formed under the

1-12     Texas Professional Association Act (Article 1528f, Vernon's Texas

1-13     Civil Statutes);

1-14                       (C)  a nonprofit health corporation certified

1-15     under Section 5.01 of the Medical Practice Act (Article 4495b,

1-16     Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes); and

1-17                       (D)  an entity wholly owned by physicians as used

1-18     under Section 2(m), Texas Health Maintenance Organization Act

1-19     (Article 20A.02(m), Vernon's Texas Insurance Code).

1-20           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

1-21     applies only to a cause of action that arises on or after the

1-22     effective date of this Act.  A cause of action that arises before

1-23     the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on

1-24     the day the cause of action arose, and the former law is continued

 2-1     in effect for that purpose.

 2-2           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-3     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-4     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-5     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-6     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.