Doctor's Expensive Referals, Texas Among the States that haven't Outlawed it

Author Dr. Sidney Roberts writes "Reduce Overuse of Medical Imaging" to address the concern of a matter that’s likely contributing to the increase in health care cost. In her article she writes that according to national studies the likely contributor is the increase in referrals for advanced diagnostic imaging services. Examples of these can be MRIs, PET scans, and CT scans. Dr. Roberts points out that diagnostic imaging services have outpaced the rate of growth of health care costs overall. She also points out that if the doctor that is helping you has a financial stake in the advanced imaging service it is likely that his or her referral is unfounded and not necessary. The author states that there is compelling evidence to suggest that self-referrals lead to overuse and the matter must be addressed by the Texas Government also. This sort of practice has been banned in 23 states but not in Texas in accordance with Dr. Roberts. She reinforces her argument with the logic that as health care cost rises so do the premiums for employers and Texas families. Even though diagnostic imaging tests can detect early unknown problems with patients that may save their life, Dr. Roberts is concerned that patients may be unnecessarily exposed to radiation from these tests when they are not needed. The author feels that more caution needs to be taken and as Texas is one of the biggest states in the nation; it needs to do something about these referrals. Dr. Sidney Roberts with her credibility as a doctor will sure capture the attention of her intended audience which is obviously people who are concerned with the increasing price of health care. I’m inclined to agree that we should do away with what is unnecessary to help lower the cost of health care for the citizens of Texas.

A Public Servant.

An Article posted by the writer Forrest Wilder talks about the Executive Director of the Texas Commissions of Jail Standards. He talks about the duties and workmanship of the director, Adan Munoz, who he believes is a true public servant. With a budget less than a million granted by our state government and five inspectors, he oversees a number of 245 county jails. These jails always seem to be overcrowded, understaffed, and short of regular medical care. Adan Munoz has experience of 40 years of law enforcement experience and has gotten the reputation of being the commission’s watchdog. The Commission was formed in 1975 to please the federal courts that were handling cases of inhumane conditions in the jails. It is up Adan Munoz to crack down on the jails that are not up to commission standards. For example, Adan Munoz had issued a surprise inspection to the Bexar County jail where a number of suicides had happened. The inspector was able to gather that the guard failed to make the proper check of the cell the night where an inmate hung himself with a cloth. By cracking down on these county jails, Munoz can make sure that fewer incidents like this happen. It’s important for Texas citizens to know what's happening behinds bars just as much as outside the jails as all the inmates in there are not all murderers. With tax payer money being budgeted to the commission, it is important to know about the executive director and how he uses his resources.