86R4478 SRA-F
 
  By: Howard H.B. No. 2976
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to authority of the Travis County Healthcare District to
  appoint, contract for, or employ physicians.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 281, Health and Safety
  Code, is amended by adding Section 281.02815 to read as follows:
         Sec. 281.02815.  EMPLOYMENT OF PHYSICIANS BY CERTAIN
  HOSPITAL DISTRICTS. (a) This section applies only to a district
  created in a county with a population of more than 800,000 that was
  not included in the boundaries of a hospital district before
  September 1, 2003.
         (b)  In addition to the authority to employ physicians under
  Section 281.0281 in the manner and for the purposes provided by that
  section, the board of the district may appoint, contract for, or
  employ physicians as the board considers necessary for the
  efficient operation of the district.
         (c)  The term of an employment contract entered into under
  this section may not exceed four years.
         (d)  This section may not be construed as authorizing the
  board to supervise or control the practice of medicine, as
  prohibited by Subtitle B, Title 3, Occupations Code.
         (e)  The authority granted to the board under Subsection (b)
  to employ physicians shall apply as necessary for the district to
  fulfill the district's statutory mandate to provide medical care
  for the indigent and needy residents of the district as provided by
  Section 281.046.
         (f)  The medical executive board of the district shall adopt,
  maintain, and enforce policies to ensure that a physician employed
  by the district under this section exercises the physician's
  independent medical judgment in providing care to patients.
         (g)  The policies adopted by the medical executive board
  under this section must include:
               (1)  policies relating to:
                     (A)  governance of the medical executive board;
                     (B)  credentialing;
                     (C)  quality assurance;
                     (D)  utilization review;
                     (E)  peer review;
                     (F)  medical decision-making; and
                     (G)  due process; and
               (2)  rules requiring the disclosure of financial
  conflicts of interest by a member of the medical executive board.
         (h)  The medical executive board and the board of the
  district shall jointly develop and implement a conflict management
  process to resolve any conflict between a policy adopted by the
  medical executive board under this section and a policy of the
  district.
         (i)  A member of the medical executive board who is a
  physician shall provide biennially to the chair of the medical
  executive board a signed, verified statement indicating that the
  board member:
               (1)  is licensed by the Texas Medical Board;
               (2)  will exercise independent medical judgment in all
  medical executive board matters, including matters relating to:
                     (A)  credentialing;
                     (B)  quality assurance;
                     (C)  utilization review;
                     (D)  peer review;
                     (E)  medical decision-making; and
                     (F)  due process;
               (3)  will exercise the board member's best efforts to
  ensure compliance with the policies that are adopted or established
  by the medical executive board; and
               (4)  will report immediately to the Texas Medical Board
  any action or event that the board member reasonably and in good
  faith believes constitutes a compromise of the independent medical
  judgment of a physician in caring for a patient.
         (j)  For all matters relating to the practice of medicine,
  each physician employed by the district under this section shall
  ultimately report to the chair of the medical executive board for
  the district.
         SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
  a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
  provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
  Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
  Act takes effect September 1, 2019.