The Institute for Health Care Quality and Efficiency met to take up their posted agenda. Members heard post-legislative session updates from agency representatives and discussed next steps for the Institute which was scheduled to be abolished in the 84th Legislative Session.
Agency Updates
Suzanne Pickens, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
- Pickens discussed appropriations to Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs – See attached THECB GME Handout for more information.
- Planning and Partnership Grants program was appropriated $3.5 million – this program allows health care facilities to partner with more experienced organizations to determine if it is feasible for them to become teaching entities
- Unfilled Position Grants were appropriated $9.75 million – this program funds unfilled positions that have already been approved and are on the books but have yet to be funded
- In the past most programs were required to award $65,000 per position; going forward, statute has no stipulation on the amount that positions must be awarded, however, there was a THECB budget rider requiring a minimum of $75,000 per award
- All programs are available to all academic teaching facilities, not just state supported schools
- At the beginning of the last biennium the state was 70 slots short of having one residency slot for each graduate; in the last session, 25 new slots were created; it is expected that 3 new medical schools will be coming on-line in the next few years which will bring an additional 150 graduates; hoping legislative support will keep up with growth in the field
- In 2014-15, 206 residency slots were funded
- 73% primary care
- 2% psychiatry
- Q: Did THECB receive funds for APRNs
- The Emergency and Trauma Care program was appropriated $4.5 million this session; this is the only graduate nursing grant support program within THECB
Mari Robinson, Texas Medical Board
- Legislation added four licensing programs to the purview of TMB, effectively adding 40,000 licensees
- Previously TMB had only 90,000
- No telemedicine bills will require new rules from TMB
- TMB will be holding a telemedicine stakeholders meeting later this summer
Legislative Update
IHCQE Staff
- Staff discussed various bills which touched on issues previously discussed by IHCQE as well as bills that were supported by IHCQE – See attached IHCQE Legislative Update for more information
- SB 200 and SB 277 (84R) abolish the IHCQE effective September 1, 2015; SB 277 abolishes the board of directors of the IHCQE effective January 1, 2016
- Because of the confusing nature of these two provisions, HHSC is investigating the issue further but without the Institute, the board of directors will be unnecessary for the remaining four months
- HB 3781 (84R) establishes the Texas Health Improvement Network “to address urgent health care challenges and improve the health care system in this state and the nation; and to develop, based on population health research, health care initiatives, policies, and best practices”
- The group is charged with evaluating and eliminating health disparities, promoting health care cost containment, and performing economic analyses of health policy
- The group will fund demonstration projects, internships, and educational programs as well as offer leadership training, data analytics, community health assessment and grant writing support to local communities
- The group will be attached to the UT System for support and coordination
- An advisory council will be appointed by an Officer within the UT System
Next Steps
- Members considered various options to close out the work of the IHCQE including publishing a summary document of the work done by the group, searching for other funding options and requesting that the committee be re-established
- Members voted unanimously to direct staff to do the following:
- Develop a summary document detailing the work that has been done by the IHCQE; seek opportunities to publish or distribute the document in order to get the information out to the most people
- Draft letters to submit to both the HHSC Executive Commissioner and the Governor requesting that the IHCQE be re-established, either temporarily to complete the work that has already been started or for an extended period of time to allow the group to continue their work
- Develop a document to provide to the newly created Texas Health Improvement Network suggesting that they continue some of the work begun by the IHCQE
The Institute is not planning to schedule another meeting before they are abolished.