By Eric McLaughlin, M.D. & Board Member, Texas Association of Freestanding Emergency Centers (TAFEC) Texas consumers increasingly have their access to emergency medical care delayed or altogether thwarted, and their coverage for legitimate care denied. After witnessing this alarming trend, Texas’ freestanding emergency room community is taking action to better protect and inform patients and their families. Together, we are making a wide-ranging commitment to remove much of the … [Read more...] about How the Texas Legislature can fulfill “our promise to patients” this session
Elite Care News
Freestanding ERs seeking Medicare and Medicaid recognition
BASTROP, Texas (Nexstar) -- Texas is home to more than 200 independent, freestanding emergency centers. They aren’t affiliated with a hospital and aren’t recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, so people with that insurance may have to pay full price if they go there. Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D., R-LA, has introduced a bill titled the “Emergency Care Improvement Act," which would provide Medicare and Medicaid recognition of freestanding emergency centers and provide a … [Read more...] about Freestanding ERs seeking Medicare and Medicaid recognition
ASTHMA TRIGGERS
It’s Southeast Texas and we all know that allergies and asthma are real. Many of us suffer from them. Learning to avoid those things that put us at higher risk for asthma attacks can help save lives and improve your quality of life. Asthma is caused by inflammation of the lungs. The muscles in your airway tighten and you suddenly find yourself wheezing, coughing, short of breath, and feeling a tightening of your chest. By consulting with your doctor and learning what your triggers are you … [Read more...] about ASTHMA TRIGGERS
Texas Standard Takes On BCBS of Texas’ New Rules Limiting ER Coverage
WITH BLUE CROSS BILLING CHANGES, SOME PATIENTS COULD BE FOOTING E.R. BILLS IN FULL Texas’ largest healthcare insurer recently said that HMO subscribers may have to pay the whole bill for out-of-network emergency room visits if the health problem isn’t deemed serious enough. Read More @ Texas Standard … [Read more...] about Texas Standard Takes On BCBS of Texas’ New Rules Limiting ER Coverage
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF TEXAS PUTS PROFITS OVER PATIENTS’ LIVES
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas announced that they will start implementing a new policy to deny patients coverage for their emergency room visit unless THEY deem the condition was an emergency... after the fact. This dangerous policy has already been implemented in 7 other states, but in all cases it violates a patients Prudent Layperson standard for seeking emergency care. This law exists to protect patients from self-diagnosing in an emergency. #StopAnthemBCBS o fight back against this … [Read more...] about BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF TEXAS PUTS PROFITS OVER PATIENTS’ LIVES
How Underpaid Insurance Claims Affect You
Have you ever wondered why your insurance premiums keep going up while your network shrinks and your insurance company reports BILLION$ in record profits? It's simple, they have perfected the art of UNDERPAYING. We PAY our health insurance premiums… EVERY MONTH — ON TIME — & IN FULL. These rules seemingly don’t apply to health insurance companies, especially when it comes to paying for emergency medical services. Too often, Insurers use their purposely constrained network rules to … [Read more...] about How Underpaid Insurance Claims Affect You
Caring & Sharing – April 2017
In April 2017, our featured charity is the Houston Food Bank. Their vision for the future is to expand service to the community to 100,000,000 nutritious meals by 2018. Every dollar donated to the Houston Food Bank provides the equivalent of three meals for an individual. In their fiscal year 2015-2016, the Houston Food Bank distributed over 79,000,000 nutritious meals! As a member of the nation's largest non-governmental, domestic hunger relief organization - Feeding America - the goal of … [Read more...] about Caring & Sharing – April 2017
Texas Senate Bill Limits Health Care Options For State Employees
If you are or know a State of Texas employee, you should know about a new Texas Senate budget rider that would limit your options for care in the event of a medical emergency. On Wednesday, March 15, 2017, the Senate Finance Committee voted to add a rider to Senate Bill 1, the Senate budget bill, which directs the Employee Retirement System (ERS) to "disincentivize member utilization of freestanding emergency rooms." The rider would effectively shift a larger portion of costs for emergency … [Read more...] about Texas Senate Bill Limits Health Care Options For State Employees
Warning Signs of A Heart Attack
Houston Life Interview With Dr. Christopher Grieves of Elite Care in Houston, Texas by Elite Care Emergency Center - Rice Village You may not know that heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. You probably know that chest pains could potentially be a heart attack, but do you know some of the other warning signs? Dr. Christopher Grieves of Elite Care Emergency Center in Rice Village is here to break down the common and not so common signs of a heart … [Read more...] about Warning Signs of A Heart Attack
Freestanding emergency centers: a solution to health care challenges
By Dr. Janna Welch, Texas Association of Freestanding Emergency Centers, Feb. 8, 2017 Texas and the rest of the country are confronting the many challenges of our changing health care system — changes accelerated by last November’s election. The elderly population in Texas is growing. While our overall population continues to grow by leaps and bounds, it is also aging significantly. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau 2010 and Texas State Data Center at the University of … [Read more...] about Freestanding emergency centers: a solution to health care challenges
