Honorable Four Price, Chair, House Committee on Public Health
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB1148 by Buckingham (Relating to maintenance of certification by a physician or an applicant for a license to practice medicine in this state.), Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Occupations Code and the Insurance Code relating to maintenance of certification by a physician or an applicant for a license to practice medicine in this state. The bill would prohibit certain hospitals, institutions, programs, or managed care plan issuer from differentiating between physicians based solely on a physician's maintenance of certificate.The bill provides exceptions. The bill would require the Texas Medical Board (TMB) to conduct a study using existing funds on whether to recognize one or more entities to provide maintenance of certification for physicians in the state. Under the provisions of the bill, if the study indicates a need for TMB to recognize one or more entities to provide maintenance of certification for physicians, TMB could develop and implement a program to recognize the entities. The bill would prohibit TMB from requiring a maintenance of certification by an applicant for the applicant to be eligible for initial licensure or renewal registration.
The bill would require TMB to begin the study by January 1, 2018.
The Texas Medical Board, University of Texas System Administration, Texas A&M University System Administrative and General Offices, Department of Insurance, and the Health and Human Services Commission anticipate any additional work resulting from the passage of the bill could be reasonably absorbed within current resources.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 454 Department of Insurance, 503 Texas Medical Board, 529 Health and Human Services Commission, 710 Texas A&M University System Administrative and General Offices, 720 The University of Texas System Administration, 537 State Health Services, Department of