By: Madla S.B. No. 516
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to creating the rural physician relief program.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Chapter 106, Health and Safety Code, is amended
1-5 by adding Subchapter H to read as follows:
1-6 SUBCHAPTER H. RURAL PHYSICIAN RELIEF PROGRAM
1-7 Sec. 106.251. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
1-8 (1) "Physician" means a person licensed to practice
1-9 medicine in this state under Subtitle B, Title 3, Occupations Code.
1-10 (2) "Relief services" means the temporary coverage of
1-11 a physician's practice by another physician for a predetermined
1-12 time during the physician's absence and before the physician's
1-13 return.
1-14 (3) "Rural" means:
1-15 (A) a community located in a county with a
1-16 population not greater than 50,000; or
1-17 (B) an area designated under state or federal
1-18 law as:
1-19 (i) a health professional shortage area;
1-20 or
1-21 (ii) a medically underserved area; or
1-22 (C) a medically underserved community designated
1-23 by the center.
1-24 Sec. 106.252. RURAL PHYSICIAN RELIEF PROGRAM. The center
1-25 shall create a program to provide affordable relief services to
2-1 rural physicians practicing in the fields of general family
2-2 medicine, general internal medicine, and general pediatrics to
2-3 facilitate the ability of those physicians to take time away from
2-4 their practice.
2-5 Sec. 106.253. FEES. (a) The center shall charge a fee for
2-6 rural physicians to participate in the program.
2-7 (b) The fees collected under this section shall be deposited
2-8 in a special account in the general revenue fund that may be
2-9 appropriated only to the center for administration of this
2-10 subchapter.
2-11 Sec. 106.254. FUNDING. The center may solicit and accept
2-12 gifts, grants, donations, and contributions to support the program.
2-13 Sec. 106.255. RELIEF PHYSICIAN'S EXPENSES. The center shall
2-14 pay a physician providing relief under the program using fees
2-15 collected by the center.
2-16 Sec. 106.256. PRIORITY ASSIGNMENT OF RELIEF PHYSICIANS.
2-17 (a) The center shall assign physicians to provide relief to a
2-18 rural area in accordance with the following priorities:
2-19 (1) solo practitioners;
2-20 (2) counties that have fewer than seven residents per
2-21 square mile;
2-22 (3) counties that have been designated under federal
2-23 law as a health professional shortage area;
2-24 (4) counties that do not have a hospital; and
2-25 (5) counties that have a hospital but do not have a
2-26 continuously staffed hospital emergency room.
3-1 (b) In determining where to assign relief physicians, the
3-2 center shall consider the number of physicians in the area
3-3 available to provide relief services and the distance in that area
3-4 to the nearest physician that practices in the same specialty.
3-5 (c) At the request of the center, residency program
3-6 directors may assist the center in coordinating the assignment of
3-7 relief physicians.
3-8 Sec. 106.257. RELIEF PHYSICIAN RECRUITMENT. The center
3-9 shall actively recruit physicians to participate in the program as
3-10 relief physicians. The center shall concentrate on recruiting
3-11 physicians involved in an accredited residency program in general
3-12 pediatrics, general internal medicine, and general family medicine,
3-13 physicians registered on the center's locum tenens registry,
3-14 physicians employed at a medical school, and physicians working for
3-15 private locum tenens groups.
3-16 Sec. 106.258. ADVISORY COMMITTEE. (a) The rural physician
3-17 relief advisory committee is composed of the following members
3-18 appointed by the center's executive committee:
3-19 (1) a physician who practices in the area of general
3-20 family medicine in a rural county;
3-21 (2) a physician who practices in the area of general
3-22 internal medicine in a rural county;
3-23 (3) a physician who practices in the area of general
3-24 pediatrics in a rural county;
3-25 (4) a representative from an accredited Texas medical
3-26 school;
4-1 (5) a program director from an accredited primary care
4-2 residency program;
4-3 (6) a representative from the Texas Higher Education
4-4 Coordinating Board; and
4-5 (7) a representative from the Texas State Board of
4-6 Medical Examiners.
4-7 (b) The advisory committee shall assist the center in
4-8 administering the program.
4-9 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
4-10 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO. 1
4-11 Amend S.B. No. 516 as follows:
4-12 (1) In SECTION 1 of the bill, in added Section 106.258(a),
4-13 Health and Safety Code (engrossed version, page 4, line 4), strike
4-14 "and".
4-15 (2) In SECTION 1 of the bill, in added Section 106.258(a),
4-16 Health and Safety Code (engrossed version, page 4, line 6), between
4-17 "Examiners" and the period insert "; and
4-18 (8) an administrator or a chief executive officer of a
4-19 hospital located in a rural county".
4-20 77R10445 MCK-D Uresti