| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to continuing education in cultural competence and |
|
|
implicit bias for certain physicians. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 156, Occupations Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 156.060 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 156.060. CONTINUING EDUCATION IN CULTURAL COMPETENCE |
|
|
AND IMPLICIT BIAS. (a) In this section: |
|
|
(1) "Cultural competence" means, with respect to |
|
|
health care, the ability to address the health issues of |
|
|
individuals from diverse backgrounds effectively by applying |
|
|
knowledge, empathy, and insight into the views on health that those |
|
|
backgrounds present. |
|
|
(2) "Implicit bias" means: |
|
|
(A) bias in judgment or behavior that results |
|
|
from subtle cognitive processes, including implicit attitudes and |
|
|
implicit stereotypes, that often operate at a level below conscious |
|
|
awareness and without intentional control; or |
|
|
(B) implicit attitudes and stereotypes that |
|
|
result in beliefs or simple associations that a person makes |
|
|
between an object and its evaluation that are automatically |
|
|
activated by the mere presence, actual or symbolic, of the attitude |
|
|
object. |
|
|
(b) A physician licensed under this subtitle who submits an |
|
|
application for renewal of a registration permit to practice |
|
|
medicine and who practices in the area of general practice, |
|
|
pediatrics, obstetrics, or gynecology shall include continuing |
|
|
medical education in cultural competence and implicit bias among |
|
|
the hours of continuing medical education completed for purposes of |
|
|
rules adopted under Section 156.051(a)(2). |
|
|
(c) The board shall adopt rules to establish the content of |
|
|
continuing medical education relating to cultural competence and |
|
|
implicit bias. The board may adopt other rules to implement this |
|
|
section. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Not later than January 31, 2020, the Texas |
|
|
Medical Board shall adopt rules required by Section 156.060, |
|
|
Occupations Code, as added by this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |