Under the Texas 1115 Medicaid Waiver, (see encyclopedic entry: Texas Healthcare Transformation and Quality Improvement Program Waiver (1115 Waiver))these are incentive payments earned by providers, including public and private hospitals, physician groups, local…
Read more
The Adult Safety Net (ASN) Program was created by the Texas Department of State Health Services’ (DSHS) Immunization Unit in order to increase access to vaccination services for uninsured adults…
Read more
Beginning in 1998, the Texas Legislature created the Texas Health Insurance Pool, a high-risk pool which consisted of a separate insurance pool for the chronically ill who were virtually uninsurable in an unregulated non-group (sometimes referred to as individual) market. (Without pre-existing conditions protections, insurers will charge sick people more than those that are well). The pool was financed by patient revenue and assessments paid by insurance companies and HMOs as well as federal grant funds.
Read more
Federally Qualified Health Centers in Texas are those receiving federal funds under Section 330 of the Public Service Act. FQHCs receive enhanced funding under Medicare and Medicaid and provide comprehensive services to underserved populations or geographic areas. These clinics also offer a sliding scale for fees charged to patients, are governed by a board of directors, and maintain a quality control program for services. There are 73 FQHCs in Texas, which operate more than 300 sites of care throughout the state. There are also 3 entities known as FQHC look-alikes which offer most of the same services but do not receive all the benefits of FQHCs.
Read more
Graduate Medical Education (GME), commonly referred to as residency, is the supervised training a medical school graduate receives to gain expertise in a specific field of medicine prior to becoming a licensed physician. GME programs are significant providers of indigent care, training residents in hospitals mostly, but also in clinics and other outpatient facilities. The state appropriates funds for GME through allocations to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and to health-related institutions through a formula that incorporates federal contributions via the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). 2014-15 general revenue appropriations going directly to health-related institutions via the GME formula equaled $66 million and for the THECB were $34 million, for a biennial total of $99 million.
Read more
The Texas Veteran’s Commission provides health, housing, education, employment and benefit access services to Texas veterans. The agency received a $101 million appropriation in the 2016-17 biennium, $64 million of…
Read more
Click here for a video summary. Medicare is the federal health insurance program for all Americans age 65 and over, some younger residents with disabilities, and persons with end stage…
Read more
IMPACT is the primary computer system used by the Department of Family and Protective Services programs to record case information about children and adults under the agency’s protection. Documentation includes…
Read more
The mission of the Texas Board of Nursing is “… to protect and promote the welfare of the people of Texas by ensuring that each person holding a license as…
Read more
The purpose of Foster Care redesign is to improve the well-being of children in foster care, as well as keeping them connected to their siblings and communities and closer to…
Read more