posted
Can someone please tell us what happened if there was any organized effort in TX to prevent this?
Posts: 8430 | From Not available | Registered: Oct 2000
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gwb
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7273
posted
So, any LLMD's left in Texas?
lou, I think momintexas knows a bit about this. You can pm her for details.
From what I know his hearing didn't go well so he decide to just retire and give it up. Sad.
quote:Originally posted by mjbucuk: Texans ---what do we need to do???????????????
Why don't you start organizing for a state bill to protect the doctors? Consult with those doing this work now for their states. I know, not easy, but how else is there going to be any doctor protection?
Posts: 13116 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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posted
How can it be legal to run these drs out of business for helping people and its okay to let us remain sick?
Posts: 2 | From Texas | Registered: May 2010
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They have been actively trying to protect doctors in Texas since the LLNP was targeted a while back. However, I'm not sure what they can do until the Texas Legislature meets again in 2011. They do seem to understand the political process in Texas. It may be wise to consult with them before taking action so that we don't accidentally undermine any efforts currently underway.
Another group that may offer insight and understanding into how out of control the TMB (Texas Medical Board) is would be parents of children with Autism, who might also be able to offer insight into patient advocacy strategies that would offer real protections for all of the Texas doctors willing to think outside the box. The TMB has been out of control for as long as I've been familiar with Texas politics. Even the state Senate Hearings in 2000 seemed to do little to influence positive changes with regard to how they treat our physicians.
Just a thought, but it seems to me that there may be additional patient groups in Texas with similar complaints about how the TMB has been stealthily targeting their doctors. Based on what I've heard through the grapevine, the TMB is cautious to frame complaints and sanctions so that one can't easily demonstrate that they've targeted anyone for "treating Lyme" per say, but rather for lack of record keeping or other clerical errors.
However, if groups with overlapping complaints could unite, perhaps it would be easier to demonstrate how doctors are being targeted and picked off. It seems to me that it might be easier to get a legislative body to recognize just how many doctors are being targeted politically if we can demonstrate that it is more than just one every four or five years, as is the appearance with the recent number of attacks on LLMDs.
It would be nice if we had uniform protections to protect all doctors willing to go the distance for chronic patients for whom mainstream answers do not readily exist because that might make it easier for a wider body of physicians to become educated about the role of Lyme and co-infections may play in other chronic patient groups.
Posts: 487 | From USA | Registered: Feb 2002
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One of the problems with the TMB complaint process is that it permits anonymous complaints. If memory serves me, testimony during the 2000 Texas Senate Hearings on Lyme Disease shed light on the fact that it is easy for insurance companies to file anonymous complaints against a particular doctor simply because they wish to deny certain types of claims. So long a the anonymous complaint process exists, those abuses will continue.
Meanwhile the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) is located in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex and is recognized as an authority on medical license issues and discipline, which is virtually in the TMB's backyard. If the FSMB were to encourage other states to base their State Medical Boards on the TMB model, the type of shenanigans that go in Texas could become far reaching. For that reason, it would behoove all patients and physicians to watch closely and support the AAPS in their actions against the TMB. IMHO, it would surprise me to learn that the FSMB is anymore interested in the welfare of chronic patients than the TMB is, who seem to me to be intent on terrorizing doctors and interfering with the doctor patient relationship.
Posts: 487 | From USA | Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
A former head of the Texas Medical Board resigned in 2008 amidst allegations of misconduct and abuse of board powers that included use of that office to go after their competition. However, anyone seeking treatment for Lyme disease in Texas can tell you that the alleged corruption and abuse of power by that board go back further than that. Until such time as anonymous complaints become a thing of the past, such abuses and intimidation of doctors will probably continue.
posted
Ok, we know there's a lot of TX Lyme patients - so join together - talk with other states who are also working on protective legislation - there's really no other way to get doctors protected.
What's this about the TX legislature not meeting until 2011? Don't they work?!
Posts: 13116 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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Pinelady
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 18524
posted
Why did Dr. Kalafut resign? Was it in revolt of
what they wanted her to do or because of what she
was doing??? Trying to learn what happened.
-------------------- Suspected Lyme 07 Test neg One band migrating in IgG region unable to identify.Igenex Jan.09IFA titer 1:40 IND IgM neg pos 31 +++ 34 IND 39 IND 41 IND 83-93 + DX:Neuroborreliosis Posts: 5850 | From Kentucky | Registered: Dec 2008
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susank
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 22150
posted
So this doctor W? was forced to retire due to treating LD?
-------------------- Pos.Bb culture 2012 Labcorp - no bands ever Igenex - Neg. 4 times With overall bands: IGM 18,28,41,66 IND: 23-25,34,39 IGG 41,58 IND: 39 Bart H IGG 40 Posts: 1613 | From Texas | Registered: Aug 2009
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