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17 Document(s) [ Subject: ]

Committee:	Senate Health and Human Services
Title:	Interim Report
Subjects:	Child care | Coronavirus | Disease preparedness | Emergency management | Immunizations | Long-term care | Medical licensing | Mental health services | Nursing shortages | Physician shortages | Public health | State Health Services, Texas Department of | Vaccine mandates |
Library Call Number:	L1836.87 H349
Session:	87th R.S. (2021)
Online version:	View report [38 pages  File size: 1,285 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Public Health Data: Review the processes for public health data collection and coordination by local and state entities as well as regional trauma centers. Identify any continuing barriers to the real-time dissemination of data concerning health care facility capacity—including data that can expedite timely care—and mortality rates, as well as other information that can assist in public policy decisions.
2.	Health Care Workforce: Study the impact of the global pandemic on the health care workforce in acute and long-term care. Identify health care staffing challenges and examine how staffing services and payment models changed the economics of the health care workforce. Identify and recommend ways to increase the health care workforce pipeline.
3.	Pandemic Response: Examine the impact of state and federal pandemic policies—including agency guidance, licensing and regulatory actions, and health care industry policies—on patient care and treatment delivery. Examine how regulatory guidance impacts the patient-doctor relationship. Recommend any changes needed to ensure Texas can develop its own data-driven guidance during public health emergencies.
4.	Monitoring: Monitor the agencies and programs under the Committee's jurisdiction and oversee the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 87th Legislature. Conduct active oversight of all associated rulemaking and other governmental actions taken to ensure intended legislative outcome of all legislation.
Committee:	Senate Higher Education
Title:	Interim Report
Subjects:	Bachelor's degrees | College preparatory curriculum | College preparedness | Community colleges | Curriculum | Developmental education | Distance education | Dual credit high school programs | Early college high schools | Educational technology | Higher education | Higher Education Coordinating Board, Texas | Immunizations | Teacher shortages | Teacher training | Texas Success Initiative | Toward EXcellence, Access & Success Grant Program | University curriculum |
Library Call Number:	L1836.83 Ed83h
Session:	83rd R.S. (2013)
Online version:	View report [62 pages]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Review and evaluate the success of Closing the Gaps by 2015, the strategic plan for higher education adopted in 2000. Coordinate with the Higher Education Coordinating Board on the next set of long term goals for higher education and monitor their progress.
2.	Study and make recommendations regarding the impact of technology on higher education instruction, including online courses and massive open online courses (MOOCs), and their impact on higher education excellence, cost, and funding requirements.
3.	Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Higher Education, 83rd Legislature, Regular and Called Sessions, and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance and/or complete implementation. Specifically, monitor the following: SB 414, relating to a study and report regarding authorizing certain public junior colleges to offer baccalaureate degree programs to address regional workforce needs; SB 62, relating to the vaccination against bacterial meningitis of entering students at public and private or independent institutions of higher education; SB 28 (2011), relating to eligibility for a TEXAS grant and to administration of the TEXAS grant program; and HB 1244 (2011), relating to developmental education and the assessment of student readiness under the Texas Success Initiative and to students enrolled in developmental education at public institutions of higher education.
4.	Examine and make recommendations regarding improvements in teacher preparation and certification programs to address any misalignment with school district shortages and problems with retaining new teachers.
5.	Review and make recommendations regarding the use of dual credit coursework and other secondary school programs for college credit, including the academic rigor of such programs and predictive value for college success.
6.	Examine and make recommendations regarding alignment between high school coursework and expectations in freshman level college coursework. Study the impact of particular coursework, specifically mathematics (including Algebra II) and science courses, as predictors of college readiness and success.
Committee:	House Public Health
Title:	Interim Report
Subjects:	Border crossings | Border issues | Border security | Dental Examiners, Texas State Board of | Dentists | Ebola | Food and Drug Administration, U.S. | Foster care | Immunizations | Medical records | Pharmaceutical industry | Pharmacies | Pregnancy | Prenatal care | Prescription drugs | Psychoactive drugs | Substance abuse | Unaccompanied minors | Undocumented immigrants | Workers' compensation | Workforce Commission, Texas |
Library Call Number:	L1836.83 H349h
Session:	83rd R.S. (2013)
Online version:	View report [82 pages]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Assess the prevalence of nonmedical prescription drug use in the state (including opioid analgesics, stimulants, tranquilizers, and sedatives). Identify adverse health impacts. Recommend strategies to curb emerging substance abuse trends among children, pregnant women, and adults, as well as to reduce health care costs and mortality.
2.	Study and make recommendations for improvements to the licensing, regulation, and monitoring of compounding pharmacies, including a review of the joint cooperative efforts between the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, Department of State Health Services, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Consider the impact of the passage of SB 1100, 83rd R.S., additional appropriations made by the 83rd Legislature to strengthen inspections, and any relevant federal legislation.
3.	Identify strategies to support the efficient exchange of electronic health information with Texas Health and Human Services enterprise agencies. Examine legal and technical issues around the accessibility of information held in registries maintained by state agencies to authorized health care providers. Identify issues related to health information exchange and providers' liability, as well as concerns related to transitioning patient data in cases where a provider selects a new electronic health record vendor.
4.	Examine the current practice for dispensation of biologic and follow-on biologic (biosimilar) pharmaceutical products in our state. Review any practices for interchangeability of drugs that might pertain to these particular medicines. Review and make recommendations regarding the substitution of biosimilar and biologic medicines.
5.	Monitor transition of the state's immunization registry to a new system. Determine whether the registry can be better utilized to prevent and/or respond to communicable disease outbreaks, including pertussis. Identify potential factors contributing to the rise in the number of pertussis cases and strategies to prevent future outbreaks.
6.	Conduct legislative oversight and monitoring of the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction and the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 83rd Legislature, including HB 15, 83rd R.S.. In conducting this oversight, the committee should: a. consider any reforms to state agencies to make them more responsive to Texas taxpayers and citizens; b. identify issues regarding the agency or its governance that may be appropriate to investigate, improve, remedy, or eliminate; c. determine whether an agency is operating in a transparent and efficient manner; and d. identify opportunities to streamline programs and services while maintaining the mission of the agency and its programs.
Committee:	Senate Health and Human Services
Title:	Interim Report
Subjects:	Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas | Caseworkers | Child Protective Services | Children's Health Insurance Program | Dental care | Foster care | Health care | Health care costs | Health insurance | Immunizations | Long-term care | Managed care | Medicaid | Medicaid eligibility | Medical research | Mental health services | Nursing homes | Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act | Public health | State Health Services, Texas Department of | State supported living centers |
Library Call Number:	L1836.82 H349
Session:	82nd R.S. (2011)
Online version:	View report [186 pages]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Monitor the potential impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on insurance regulations, Medicaid and CHIP, health care outcomes and overall health of all Texans, and the state budget in Texas. Additionally, monitor the current constitutional challenges to PPACA and other court cases associated with PPACA, and ensure that the state does not expend any resources until judicial direction is clear. (Joint charge with Senate State Affairs Committee)
2.	Monitor the potential impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on insurance regulations, Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), health care outcomes, health care workforce, overall health of all Texans, and the state budget in Texas. Additionally, monitor the current constitutional challenges to PPACA, and other court cases associated with PPACA, and ensure that the state does not expend any resources until judicial direction is clear. (Joint charge with Senate State Affairs Committee)
3.	Evaluate the implementation of cost-containment strategies across the Health and Human Services Enterprise to determine if and how each strategy can be expanded upon to achieve additional savings next biennium. The evaluation should include but is not limited to: the expansion of managed care, co-­pays in Medicaid, electronic visit verification, and independent assessments for long-­? term care services. The evaluation should also consider new cost-containment strategies that will increase efficiencies and reduce costs. This evaluation should include but not be limited to: Medicaid, Early Childhood Intervention Services, and immunizations.
4.	Review the state's current investment in health care innovation, including translational research and the Cancer Prevention Research Institute, which focuses on rapid transfer of new technology experimentation directly into the clinical environment. Make recommendations to improve the health of Texans and encourage continued medical research in the most cost-effective manner possible.
5.	Review existing policies for prior authorization and medical necessity review across the Medicaid Program, including nursing homes and orthodontic services. Make recommendations on how these policies could be improved to save money by reducing unnecessary utilization and fraud.
6.	Review the Medicaid Home and Community Based Services Waivers to identify strategies to lower costs, improve quality, and increase access to services. Areas of the review should include, but are not limited to: Functional eligibility determinations to ensure services are only being delivered to individuals that qualify; Financial eligibility determinations to ensure parental income and resources are considered when the client is a minor; Coordination of acute and long-term care services; Development and use of lower-cost community care waiver options; Coordination with the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) for waiver services for children in conservatorships; Reinvesting savings into accessibility of community care for individuals waiting for services.
7.	Evaluate the management structure and supervision of CPS caseworkers with an emphasis on rural areas. Identify any legislative changes that could assist DFPS in maximizing efficiency, improving quality casework and supervision, and increasing caseworker retention. Identify any legislative changes that could improve the quality of care children receive while in Child Protective Services custody, including improving permanency outcomes.
8.	Examine the delivery and financing of public health services in our state, including how federal funds are distributed by the state to local health departments and whether the work done by Regional Health Departments operated by the Department of State Health Services overlap unnecessarily with local health departments.
9.	Review the state's public mental health system and make recommendations to improve access, service utilization, patient outcomes and system efficiencies. Study current service delivery models for outpatient and inpatient care, funding levels, financing methodologies, services provided, and available community-based alternatives to hospitalization. The review should look to other states for best practices or models that may be successful in Texas. The study shall also review and recommend "best value" practices that the state's public mental health system may implement to maximize the use of federal, state, and local funds.
10.	Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, and/or complete implementation, including but not limited to: Health Care Quality and Efficiency - Monitor implementation of initiatives aimed at improving health care quality and efficiency in Texas, including: the transition of Medicaid and the CHIP to quality-based payments, establishment of the Texas Institute of Health Care Quality and Efficiency, implementation of the Health Care Collaborative certificate, patient-centered medical home for high-cost populations, development and use of potentially preventable event outcome measures, and reduction of health care-associated infections. Include recommendations on how to improve and build upon these initiatives, including improving birth outcomes and reducing infant and maternal mortality; Federal Flexibility - Monitor implementation of initiatives to increase state flexibility, including the Health Care Compact and the Medicaid Demonstration Waiver; Foster Care Redesign - Monitor implementation of the initiative to redesign the foster care system; Implementation of DOJ Settlement agreement to address State Supported Living Center concerns.
Committee:	Senate Higher Education
Title:	Interim Report
Subjects:	Associate's degrees | Community college students | Developmental education | Distance education | Educational technology | Graduate-on-time programs | Higher education | Higher Education Coordinating Board, Texas | Immunizations | Math education | Meningitis | Nontraditional students | P-16 councils | Persons with disabilities | Student aid | Texas B-on-Time loans | Texas State Technical College | Toward EXcellence, Access & Success Grant Program | Undocumented immigrant students | University graduation rates | University student transfers |
Library Call Number:	L1836.82 Ed83h
Session:	82nd R.S. (2011)
Online version:	View report [72 pages]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Study and make recommendations regarding more cost-effective funding of financial aid, including ways to restructure financial aid programs to incentivize student success, particularly among low-income students, and the efficacy of current exemptions and waivers offered to students at institutions of higher education, including in-state tuition for undocumented students. Examine student loan debt, state and federal loan forgiveness programs, and institutional default rates.
2.	Study and make recommendations regarding more effective means of using technology, including the effectiveness of online learning and online coursework for underprepared students. Examine the cost and funding of online education. Examine how electronic coursework and technology impacts students with disabilities, and make recommendations to ensure all students have access to electronic materials and courses. Review and make recommendations concerning statewide or inter-system cooperation for blended and online learning.
3.	Study developmental education programs in public higher education institutions. Include a demographic analysis of students who require developmental education, and identify alternative means of assessing the need for developmental education, the effectiveness of delivery of developmental education programs, and the role of P-16 councils in addressing solutions for better preparing students for higher education. Review alternative means of offering and financing developmental education courses and identify potential cost savings.
4.	Examine the existing transfer systems and the potential development of a 2+2 transfer system between public junior colleges and universities. Examine the transfer of credit between degree-granting private sector colleges, public junior colleges, and public universities. Examine the impact of national, regional, and professional accrediting associations on course credit transfer.
5.	Study and make recommendations regarding academic and non-academic barriers to non-traditional students, including students with disabilities. Focus on ways to restructure course and program delivery, student support services, financial barriers, and remediation and academic advising. Study and make recommendations to reduce time-to-degree, incentivize on-time graduation, and increase graduation rates to meet the goals of Closing the Gaps by 2015 and beyond.
6.	Consistent with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's legislative directive to work with the Texas State Technical College System (TSTC) and other appropriate state agencies to develop a returned value funding model for TSTC, examine the benefits and challenges such an approach will have on technical education in Texas.
7.	Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Higher Education, 82nd Legislature, Regular and Called Sessions, and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance and/or complete implementation. Specifically, monitor the following: SB 5, relating to the administration and business affairs of public institutions of higher education; SB 28, relating to eligibility for a TEXAS grant and to administration of the TEXAS grant program; HB 9, relating to student success-based funding; HB 33, relating to measures to increase the affordability of textbooks used for courses at public or private institutions of higher education; SB 1107, Relating to the vaccination against bacterial meningitis of entering students at public and private or independent institutions of higher education; HB 1000, relating to the distribution of money appropriated from the National Research University Fund.
Committee:	Senate Health and Human Services
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	Interim report to the 81st Legislature
Subjects:	Adoption | Aging and Disability Services, Texas Department of | Asthma | Caseworkers | Child abuse prevention | Child Protective Services | Disease management | Disease preparedness | Disease prevention | Family and Protective Services, Texas Department of | Family Based Safety Services | Family preservation | Foster care | Health care providers | Health Enterprise Zones | Health insurance premium subsidies | Home health care services | Immunizations | Influenza | Medicaid | Medical errors | Medical reimbursements | Medically uninsured | Mental health services | Mentally disabled persons | Nursing homes | Obesity | Persons with disabilities | Preparation for Adult Living | Rural health care | Services for persons with disabilities | Smoking bans | State supported living centers | Stem cell research | Umbilical cord blood |
Library Call Number:	L1836.80 H349
Session:	80th R.S. (2007)
Online version:	View report [379 pages  File size: 16,580 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Monitor the Department of Aging and Disability Services' improvement plan for the system of care for individuals with developmental disabilities, focusing on efforts to improve state schools and provide more community care options. Evaluate the process for preventing, reporting, and investigating abuse and neglect in state schools, ICF/MRs and the Home and Community-Based Services (HCS) program. Determine the short-term and long-term financial impact of increasing the number of individuals served in home or community locations and the financial impact this shift has on state schools. Monitor the department's efforts to convert institutions to community care providers through the money-follows-the-person program designed to improve access to community care services. Specifically make recommendations on: how to further improve the system of care for individuals with developmental disabilities; preventing, reporting, and investigating abuse and neglect; developing a transition plan for reducing waiting list for community care service; incentives for converting institutions into community care providers; and a long term plan to address issues that result from the current federal Department of Justice investigation.
2.	Study and make recommendations related to creating an outcome-based reimbursement model in Texas' Medicaid program as a way to improve quality of care, reduce medical errors, and create cost savings. Develop a pilot health care program that pays for best practices, rather than only paying for actual procedures performed. Examine the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid's (CMS) efforts to create an outcome-based system in the Medicare payment system that sanctions serious, preventable medical errors. Examine Pennsylvania's efforts to implement a similar outcome-based reimbursement model to make providers more vigilant about patient care, encourage best practices, and reduce costs in their Medicaid program. If necessary, examine other health care coverage models that have successfully incorporated an outcome-based reimbursement system. Consider pay-for-performance, options that reward good outcomes and the use of best practices, and changes to the reimbursement system that will reduce serious preventable medical errors and hospital acquired infections.
3.	Study the effectiveness of the Resiliency and Disease Management (RDM) program in the mental health service delivery system, implementation of changes to the crisis care program, and recommendations for appropriate use of the mental health transformation grant. Identify strategies to increase access to services and meet future demand for services. Examine resource allocation and opportunities to maximize funding. Policy recommendations should maximize the number of inpatient psychiatric acute care beds, enhance access to outpatient services, promote the use of recovery-based services, and enhance access to community-based services.
4.	Monitor the implementation of the Department of Family and Protective Services’ improvement plan to reduce caseloads for Child Protective Service caseworkers, and to provide family-based safety services and ongoing substitute care services. Evaluate the efficiency of Child Protective Services "functional units," and determine if other organizational models would allow for a reduction in caseworkers' caseloads, without increasing other administrative costs. Develop recommendations aimed at lowering individual caseloads, making casework more efficient, and improving the retention of caseworkers. Assess the viability of caseworker reimbursement as a manner to lower caseworker turnover.
5.	Monitor the implementation of the Department of Family and Protective Services' plan to stabilize the foster care system and increase permanency options for children. Study placement capacity to determine how Child Protective Services can better develop the necessary adoptions or foster homes to meet the needs of children and families by increasing foster care capacity, recruiting and retaining more foster and adoptive parents, increasing the use of relative care, and developing best practices for reducing foster care placement breakdowns. This includes studying innovative ways to promote adoption and kinship care in Texas and best practices for foster/adoptive parents to improve their ability to care for abused and neglected children. Explore potential improvements and enhancements in the Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) program to increase successful transitioning from foster care to adult living. Study current death review processes for children who die while in state care.
6.	Examine Texas' current strategies for preventing child abuse. Specifically study the effectiveness of current programs and how these programs compare to other state efforts. Identify national research-based solutions, including best practices and programs addressing sexual abuse. Explore promising existing and emerging approaches to child abuse and neglect prevention, especially those with a strong evidence base. Identify additional funding sources for increased child abuse prevention activities by the state.
7.	Study the changes in statute contained in SB 10, 80th R.S., as well as the state's current prevention and wellness efforts and chronic care management efforts, and identify opportunities for improvement in state policies and programs. Examine options for expanding and optimizing the state's current investment in wellness programs and management tools for individuals with chronic care conditions, including options that address childhood asthma. Review partnerships with the private sector that specifically address the following: tobacco cessation, including the evaluation of a statewide smoking ban in public places; reducing obesity; availability and effectiveness of childhood and adult vaccines, including public education programs to promote the use of vaccines; and more effective management of chronic care conditions.
8.	Study the effectiveness and efficiency of nursing homes and home-based solutions/home care in Texas, and make recommendations to improve nursing homes and their funding. Identify and study successful nursing home funding models established by other states. Consider ways to fund infrastructure for nursing and therapists and home care. Examine the possibility of an incentive-based “pay for performance” rate plan for nursing facilities and consider factors that it could be based on, taking into account similar plans implemented in other states. Make recommendations on how best to use Medicaid to fund skilled nursing and home health care in Texas. Explore options for improving graduation rates for nurses in Texas.
9.	Study and address ethical issues surrounding the impact of a pandemic influenza in this state, particularly focusing on the following: the availability of human and material resources; the benefits and burdens of mass vaccination plans; the involvement of private sector professional organizations and businesses in the state's pandemic influenza preparedness and response plans; and development and implementation of communication plans that will inform and prepare the public on risk reduction behaviors and local/state preparedness and response.
10.	Study the potential for development of Health Enterprise Zones, which could offer tax incentives to medical providers who locate within the boundaries of designated medically underserved areas. Analyze similar legislation enacted in other states, specifically New Jersey, and estimate costs and benefits. Consider expanding incentives to medically related industries such as medical research facilities, laboratories and equipment manufacturers in order to spur economic development.
11.	Monitor the collection and availability of cord blood stem cells for treatments and research in Texas. Review the current state of basic and clinical research using these and other types of adult stem cells. Assess the potential for clinical and economic benefits from current and increased adult stem cell research.
12.	Review Medicaid provider reimbursement rate methodologies, including the impact of factors such as infrastructure concerns, federal minimum wage changes, and cost reports. Study the impact on access to care, quality of care, and value, and make recommendations for legislative changes, taking into account rate increases contained in the current budget. (Joint charge with Senate Finance Committee)
13.	Study the state's current and long-range need for physicians, dentists, nurses, and other allied health and long-term care professionals. Make recommendations on how the state can help recruit high-need professions, especially for primary care providers and long-term care professionals in the underserved regions of Texas. (Joint charge with the Senate Committee on International Relations and Trade)
14.	Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Health and Human Services Committee, 80th R.S., and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, and/or complete implementation. Specifically, report on the implementation of SB 10, 80th R.S., to ensure meaningful improvement in access to quality care in the Texas Medicaid program, focusing on how to cover more uninsured in Texas with market-based plans or premium assistance for employer health plans, and monitor the creation of the Texas Cancer Research and Prevention Institute.
Committee:	Senate Health and Human Services
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	Interim report to the 80th Legislature
Subjects:	211 telephone system | Adult Protective Services | Caseworkers | Child nutrition programs | Child Protective Services | Children's Health Insurance Program enrollment and eligibility | Children's mental health | Diet and nutrition | Family and Protective Services, Texas Department of | Federally qualified health centers | Guardianship | Health care | Immunizations | Influenza | Medicaid | Medical assistants | Mental health services | Mentally ill inmates | Mentally ill persons | Nurses | Nursing shortages | Obesity | Pharmacists | Physical fitness | Physicians | Services for persons with disabilities | Social service agencies | Stem cell research | Telemedicine | Texas Emerging Technology Fund |
Library Call Number:	L1836.79 H349
Session:	79th R.S. (2005)
Online version:	View report [201 pages  File size: 3,167 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Study and make recommendations for improving delivery of Texas' mental health services; consider local and regional delivery systems including access to care, cost effectiveness, choice and competition, and quality of care.
2.	Monitor state and federal Medicaid reform proposals, including their impact on the Medicaid program in Texas, as well as cost-containment measures in other states, and make recommendations for legislative action, as appropriate.
3.	Study and make recommendations relating to filling shortages in the health care workforce and improving medical educational services. Evaluate the state's use of the National Health Service Corps and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to address the needs of the Medicaid/Medicare and underinsured populations
4.	Examine the strategies used by other states that have had success with FQHCs and make recommendations for increasing the number of FQHCs in Texas.
5.	Study and make recommendations relating to policy issues surrounding the use of emerging skin cell research, and other technologies.
6.	Study and make recommendations for improving vaccination rates and ensuring an adequate vaccination supply in the state. Include an analysis of vaccine manufacturing and purchasing policies.
7.	Evaluate and make recommendations relating to the creation of a comprehensive and statewide nutrition and physical activity plan to address obesity and chronic diseases. Examine options for funding components of such a plan.
8.	Monitor the implementation of SB 6, 79th R.S., relating to Child and Adult Protective Services. Study and make recommendations for development and enhancements to protocols for joint investigations by child protective service workers and law enforcement and for interviews with children for disclosure of abuse.
9.	Study the current use of the 2-1-1 network to provide access to information on federal, state, and local resources. Examine and make recommendations on strategies that improve the coordination of service information and expand the availability of information on services currently provided by community and faith-based organizations.
10.	Monitor the implementation of HB 2292, 78th R.S., relating to health and human services. Focus on implementation of service coordination and consolidation efforts to assess the impact on service quality, while reducing costs.
Committee:	Senate Health and Human Services
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	Interim report to the 79th Legislature
Subjects:	Adult Protective Services | Call centers | Child Protective Services | Children's Health Insurance Program | Databases | Family and Protective Services, Texas Department of | Health care | Hospitals | Immunizations | Indigent health care | Long-term care | Medicaid | Medicaid fraud | Medical Board, Texas | Medicare | Prompt payment of insurance claims | Social service agencies | State government reorganization | Welfare |
Library Call Number:	L1936.78 H349
Session:	78th R.S. (2003)
Online version:	View report [247 pages  File size: 1,485 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Study and make recommendations on structural reform, efficiency improvements, and cost savings in the state Medicaid and CHIP programs, with a goal of changing the method and delivery of service to reduce costs while providing the intended services. The Committee should examine and make recommendations to: lower institutional costs; subsidize private insurance in lieu of Medicaid and CHIP where possible; use consumer-directed care models; reimburse health care providers based upon outcomes where feasible; match currently unmatched local funds with federal funds; alter Texas' current method of finance and distribution of DSH; develop possible HIFA waiver options that incorporate premium subsidization; develop accountability and incentive measures for outcomes within Medicaid managed care and CHIP; seek flexibility from federal government to allow options and waivers and enhance federal funds; examine local models for delivery of Medicaid while maintaining best practices; and expand access to mental health services through expansion of behavioral health organization model. The Committee will coordinate these studies with the Health and Human Services Transition Legislative Oversight Committee review of mental health and mental retardation services.
2.	Monitor implementation and make recommendations to improve HB 2292, 78th R.S.. Include reviews of implementation of the preferred drug list and prior authorization and the new call center for determination of program and service eligibility. The Committee will coordinate activities with the Health and Human Services Transition Legislative Oversight Committee.
3.	Study and make recommendations on improving Texas's county and local indigent health care system. Consider whether the system should be regionalized to reflect usage and gain efficiencies, so that one or more counties are not paying for regional health care.
4.	Monitor the implementation and make recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of legislation relating to the Board of Medical Examiners, legislation relating to childhood immunizations, legislation relating to the pilot front end Medicaid fraud reduction systems, federal developments related to TANF reauthorization and related programs, expansion and new construction of Federally Qualified Health Centers, federal developments related to prescription drugs in Medicare and the effect on Medicaid. Also, monitor and report on the use of new federal Medicare funds allocated for Texas
5.	Study and make recommendations on increasing electronic transactions in health care. Review the use and make recommendations on improving technology in health care administration, including expediting pre-authorizations and increasing the efficiency of claims processing so that medical providers are paid once procedures are pre-authorized and performed, and administrative costs lowered, benefitting both the consumer and the managed health care organizations.
6.	Study health facility regulation in Texas and make recommendations that facilitate innovation and patient safety. Concentrate studies on hospitals, including niche hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers and long term care facilities, and make recommendations for improving patient choice, facility competition, indigent health care, and for maintaining a competitive, patient-oriented health care industry.
7.	Study and make recommendations on improving the Protective and Regulatory Services service levels payment system and tiered adoption subsidy program. Study and make recommendations on improving the recruitment and retention of foster care families.
Committee:	House Public Health
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	House Committee on Public Health, Texas House of Representatives interim report, 2004 : a report to the House of Representatives, 79th Texas Legislature
Subjects:	Children's health care | Diabetes | Fetal rights | Immunizations | Medicaid Vendor Drug Program | Organ and tissue donations | Pregnancy | Prenatal care |
Library Call Number:	L1836.78 H349h
Session:	78th R.S. (2003)
Online version:	View report [80 pages  File size: 309 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Examine the demographics and costs of diabetes in Texas. Assess the impact diabetes will have on Texas' population, budget and health care system in the future and recommend appropriate policy changes.
2.	Investigate the practice of allowing corneal tissue to be taken and used for transplantation without prior consent. Recommend appropriate state policy changes.
3.	Collect, review and report on the statistics and statewide impact of drug and alcohol abuse by pregnant women on the unborn.
4.	Review the current operations of the Texas Immunization and Kidney Health Care programs. The review should determine if the operational and administrative changes made to the Medicaid Vendor Drug Program will continue to meet the needs of Texans who do not qualify for Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program or private insurance and recommend any necessary changes.
5.	Monitor the agencies and programs under the committee's jurisdiction.
Committee:	Senate Health and Human Services
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	Report to the 78th Legislature / Senate Committee on Health and Human Services.
Subjects:	Biological weapons | Child care | Children's health care | Disability benefits | Immunizations | Mental Health and Mental Retardation, Texas Department of | Mental health services | Mentally disabled persons | Mentally ill persons | Organ and tissue donations | Patient restraints | Public health | Rehabilitation Commission, Texas | Terrorism | Welfare | Welfare reform | Welfare-to-work |
Library Call Number:	L1836.77 h349
Session:	77th R.S. (2001)
Online version:	View report [714 pages  File size: 8,454 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Review, evaluate, and make recommendations on the following mental health and mental retardation issues: a. Availability and adequacy of mental health services for children and adolescents and their families, including services funded through the mental health system, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program, and other funding sources the Committee considers relevant. b. Community mental health services delivery structure, including evaluating the efficacy of continuation or expansion of the NorthStar managed care pilot and the role of local community MHMR centers as mental health authorities. c. Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation's allocation formulas for distributing mental health and mental retardation funds to local communities.
2.	Review, evaluate and make recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the state's Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Welfare-to-work, child care and related programs in moving families out of poverty to self-sufficiency, with special focus on expiration of the state's federal waiver in FY 2002. Monitor federal reauthorization activities on these programs.
3.	Review, evaluate and make recommendations to improve Texas' Supplemental Security Income disability determination procedures. The Committee should compare Texas' denial rate with other states' rates, analyze any changes in Texas' rate, and examine the impact of Texas' system on Medicaid coverage for the uninsured.
4.	Evaluate and make recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the state's public health response to bioterrorism.
5.	Make recommendations for improving the state's organ donatation and allocation system.
6.	Study and make recommendations for increasing Texas' rates of immunization against childhood communicable diseases.
7.	Study and make recommendations for improving reporting and training regarding the use of restraints and seclusions in facilities.
Committee:	House Public Health
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	House Committee on Public Health, Texas House of Representatives interim report, 2002 : a report to the House of Representatives, 78th Texas Legislature.
Subjects:	Alternative medicine | Biological weapons | Drug rehabilitation programs | Health, Texas Department of | Homeland security | Hospital districts | Immunizations | Medical licensing | Medical reimbursements | Mental health services | Prescription drug costs | Public health | Substance abuse | Terrorism | Undocumented immigrants |
Library Call Number:	L1836.77 h349h
Session:	77th R.S. (2001)
Online version:	View report [119 pages  File size: 429 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Assess the state of the healthcare infrastructure in Texas in light of hospital closures, rising costs, constrained reimbursement rates, workforce issues and any other pertinent factors. Consider differences in regions or localities that might adversely affect healthcare delivery to specific groups of Texans.
2.	Conduct an extensive review of access to programs and treatment options for mental illness and substance abuse. Identify barriers to access and any gaps in existing programs.
3.	Examine the costs and benefits of allowing state and local governments to provide health and preventive care without regard to the immigration status of the patient.
4.	Gather information about the production, distribution, use and disposal of biological agents that could be used in terrorist actions, as well as vaccines that would be used to respond to biological attacks. Review hospital plans for responding to large-scale emergencies. Review government regulations and business practices to determine whether legislation is needed to protect life and property and to detect, interdict and respond to acts of terrorism.
5.	Study the use of complementary and alternative medicines in Texas. Is there a need for the state to develop a regulatory framework for their use?
6.	Assess the procedures of health-related licensing agencies regarding the intake of complaints, investigation procedures and timetables, and enforcement of laws and rules. Comment on any factors involving the use or abuse of patient information by healthcare agencies or institutions.
7.	Actively monitor agencies and programs under the committee's oversight jurisdiction. Pay particular attention to implementation of recommendations to restructure the Department of Health including the childhood immunization program; and implementation of pharmaceutical legislation passed by the 77th Legislature.
Committee:	Senate Border Affairs, Special
Title:	Interim Report - Health
Library Catalog Title:	Health interim report : Texas border health.
Subjects:	Air pollution | Air quality | Birth defects | Border health | Border Health Institute | Children's Health Insurance Program | Dengue Fever | Dental hygienists | Dentists | Diabetes | Drinking water | Immunizations | Indigent health care | Medicaid | Medicaid application process | Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital Program, Texas | Medical reimbursements | Medical research | Mental health services | Mosquitoes | Sewer service | Surface water pollution | Texas Center for Infectious Disease | Tire disposal | Tuberculosis | Wastewater management | Water quality management | Water supplies |
Library Call Number:	L1836.76 b644h
Session:	76th R.S. (1999)
Online version:	View report [108 pages  File size: 503 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Assess the Border Region's water and wastewater system infrastructure needs and the impact of the lack of adequate water and wastewater systems on health conditions along the Border. The Committee shall develop both short-term and long-term recommendations to address these infrastructure needs.
2.	Assess the health conditions in the Border Region, including childhood diseases and chronic health problems endemic to the Border such as diabetes and tuberculosis. Included in this assessment shall be an evaluation of the utilization of immunization and prevention programs and of collaborative efforts on common health issues between Texas and the Mexican Border States. The Committee shall develop health care strategies to improve Border health conditions and recommendations for their implementation.
Committee:	Senate Health Services
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	Report to the 77th Legislature / Texas Senate Health Committee.
Subjects:	Biological weapons | Biotechnology industry | Children's Health Insurance Program | Cloning | Dentists | Ethics | Genetic research and testing | Health care providers | Immunizations | Managed care | Medicaid | Medical privacy | Medical records | Nurses | Nursing shortages | Pharmaceutical industry | Pharmacists | Physicians | Privacy | State employee turnover | Telemedicine |
Library Call Number:	L1836.76 h35
Session:	76th R.S. (1999)
Online version:	View report [356 pages  File size: 6,500 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Evaluate the changes in the Medicaid system since the beginning of Medicaid reform. The Committee shall assess reform efforts in light of the original goals for implementation of Medicaid managed care, as well as the impact of Medicaid managed care on patient outcomes, cost implications to the state, and the impact on traditional providers of indigent care. The Committee shall also specifically evaluate the ability of Medicaid managed care organizations and the state to manage chronic illnesses and develop specific strategies for disease management for certain populations.
2.	Inventory and analyze the amount and type of research related to pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and genetics currently occurring in Texas to maximize the benefits to Texans in these fields. The Committee shall also examine the ethical implications associated with pharmaceuticals, genetic and biotechnology research.
3.	Review the type, amount, availability, and use of patient-specific medical information, including prescription data, and current statutory and regulatory provisions governing its availability. The report shall explore if statutory and regulatory provisions are consistent and adequately enforced.
4.	Study impacts of the degree of choice granted physicians to administer immunizations to children under the Vaccinations For Children (VFC) Program. The Committee shall focus on the health and fiscal implications to the public and private sectors of granting choices to physicians where more than one manufacturer produces the same vaccine at an equivalent price.
5.	Assess the preparedness of the Texas health care workforce to meet the health care needs of Texans beyond the year 2000, including methods to retain Texas-trained medical personnel. The Committee shall evaluate the availability of health care providers in rural and urban areas. The Committee shall also review the oversight of medical procedures performed by medical residents and disclosure provided to patients prior to treatment.
6.	Monitor the implementation of SB 445, 76th R.S. relating to the Children's Health Insurance Program.
Committee:	Senate Health and Human Services
Title:	Interim report - Immunization programs & restricting access to alcohol and tobacco
Library Catalog Title:	Improving immunization programs and restricting children's access to tobacco and alcohol : interim report, September, 1996.
Subjects:	Immunizations | Tobacco advertising | Tobacco industry | Tobacco laws and regulations | Underage drinking | Underage smoking |
Library Call Number:	L1836.74 h349
Session:	74th R.S. (1995)
Online version:	View report [101 pages  File size: 4,077 kb]
Charge:	This report should address the charge below.
1.	Study and make recommendations to improve immunization programs for children and identify the necessary steps required to limit access to tobacco and alcohol by children.
Supporting documents
Committee:	Senate Health and Human Services
Title:	Interim minutes, letters to Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock with enclosures, and charts reflecting legislative recommendations submitted to the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services
Library Catalog Title:	Minutes
Library Call Number:	L1803.9 H88 74
Session:	74th R.S. (1995)
Online version:	View document [461 pages  File size: 10,303 kb]
Committee:	Senate Disease Prevention by Immunization, Special
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	Special problems in Texas concerning diseases preventable by immunization / prepared by the Special Senate Committee on Disease Prevention by Immunization.
Subjects:	Immunizations |
Library Call Number:	L1836.62 im6
Session:	62nd R.S. (1971)
Online version:	View report [116 pages  File size: 5,964 kb]
Charge:	This report should address the charge below.
1.	The committee shall study the interrelated problems of immunization and health in Texas, with emphasis upon coordinating efforts of the public and private sectors of Texas to more effectively achieve the successful immunization of the population of the state. *
Committee:	Joint Meningitis Outbreak, Investigate
Title:	Report
Library Catalog Title:	Report of Special Committee with reference to meningitis situation.
Subjects:	Immunizations | Meningitis |
Library Call Number:	S.J. of Tex., 33rd Leg., R.S. 644 (1913)
Session:	33rd R.S. (1913)
Online version:	View report [3 pages  File size: 111 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Ascertain the effect of the meningitis outbreak in Austion on the sanitary conditions in the Capitol. *
2.	Determine the best means for preventing legislators from contracting meningitis. *

* This represents an abstract of the report contents. Charge text is incomplete or unavailable.

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