- Thursday, May 20: Steve Wohleb / Texas Senate Committee on Jurisprudence / Supporting HB 2709
- Wednesday, May 19: Binita Patel / Texas Senate Health and Human Services Committee / Supporting HB 1919
- Monday, May 17: Steve Wohleb / Texas Senate State Affairs Committee / on HB 3046
- Thursday, May 13: Cesar Lopez / Texas Senate State Affairs Committee / Against HB 2064
- Wednesday, May 12: Christine Bryan / Texas House Public Health Committee / Supporting SB 640
- Thursday, May 6: Steve Wohleb / Texas Senate State Affairs Committee / Against SB 1669
- Monday, May 3: Cesar Lopez / Texas Senate Agriculture Committee / Supporting SB 1382
- Wednesday, April 28: Cameron Duncan / Texas House Public Health Committee / Supporting HB 3965
- Wednesday, April 28: Cesar Lopez / Texas House Public Health Committee / on HB 3980
- Wednesday, April 21: Steve Wohleb / Texas Senate Health & Human Services Committee / on SB 505
- Wednesday, April 21: Steve Wohleb / Texas House Public Committee / Supporting HB 136
- Tuesday, April 20: John Hawkins / Texas House County Affairs Committee / Supporting HB 3661
- Thursday, April 15: Steve Wohleb / Texas House Public Health Committee / Against HB 1424
- Wednesday, April 14: Tommie Farrell / Texas House Public Health Committee / Against HB 2609
- Wednesday, April 14: Frank Xavier Placencia / Texas House Public Health Committee / Against HB 2609
- Wednesday, April 14: Savitri Fedson / Texas House Public Health Committee / Against HB 2609
- Wednesday, April 14: Mark Casanova / Texas House Public Health Committee / Against HB 2609
- Wednesday, April 14: Mark Casanova / Texas House Public Health Committee / Supporting HB 2943
- Wednesday, April 14: Robert L. Fine / Texas House Public Health Committee / Supporting HB 2943
- Wednesday, April 14: Tommie Farrell / Texas House Public Health Committee / Supporting HB 2943
- Wednesday, April 14: Steve Wohleb / Texas House Public Health Committee / on HB 1291
- Tuesday, April 13: Cameron Duncan / Texas House Insurance Committee / Supporting HB 2035
- Tuesday, April 13: Cameron Duncan / Texas House Insurance Committee / on HB 4051
- Tuesday, April 13: Cesar Lopez / Texas House Insurance Committee / Supporting HB 621
- Tuesday, April 13: Cameron Duncan / Texas Senate Business & Commerce Committee / Against SB 2122
- Thursday, April 8: Steve Wohleb / Texas House County Affairs Committee / For HB 3125
- Wednesday, April 7: Mark Casanova / Texas Senate Health & Human Services Committee / For SB 1944
- Wednesday, April 7: Mark Casanova / Texas Senate Health & Human Services Committee / Against SB 917
- Wednesday, April 7: Robert L. Fine / Texas Senate Health & Human Services Committee / For SB 1944, Against SB 917
- Wednesday, April 7: Becket Gremmels / Texas Senate Health & Human Services Committee / For SB 1944, Against SB 917
- Tuesday, April 6: Cesar Lopez / Texas House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Committee / on HB 1617
- Tuesday, April 6: Cameron Duncan / Texas House Insurance Committee / on HB 2241
- Tuesday, April 6: Cesar Lopez / Texas House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Committee / on HB 3063
- Wednesday, March 31: Cameron Duncan / Texas House Public Health Committee / Supporting HB 4
- Tuesday, March 30: Cesar Lopez / Texas House Business & Industry Committee / Against HB 396
- Tuesday, March 30: Cameron Duncan / Texas House Human Services Committee / Supporting HB 2955
- Monday, March 29: Cesar Lopez / Texas Senate State Affairs Committee / Against SB 207
- Thursday, March 25: Steve Wohleb / Texas House Homeland Security & Public Safety / Against HB 2675
- Wednesday, March 24: Jeremy Yates / Texas House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Committee / For HB 2709
- Wednesday, March 24: Cameron Duncan / Texas House Public Health Committee / Supporting HB 2052
- Wednesday, March 24: Cameron Duncan / Texas House Public Health Committee / HB 326
- Wednesday, March 24: Cesar Lopez / Texas House Public Health Committee / on HB 2211
- Tuesday, March 23: John Hawkins / Texas Senate Health & Human Services Committee / Supporting SB 412
- Tuesday, March 23: John Hawkins / Texas Senate Health & Human Services Committee / Against SB 1137
- Wednesday, March 17: John Hawkins / Texas Senate Health & Human Services Committee / on SB 809
- Wednesday, March 17: Cameron Duncan / Texas House Public Health Committee / on HB 1490
- Wednesday, March 17: Steve Wohleb / Texas House Public Health Committee / Against HB 1164
- Tuesday, March 16: Binita Patel / Texas House Insurance Committee / Supporting HB 1586
- Thursday, March 11: Carrie Kroll / Texas House State Affairs Committee / Supporting HB 3
- Thursday, March 11: John Hawkins / Texas House County Affairs Committee / Hospital Payments
- Monday, March 1: John Hawkins / Texas House Appropriations Subcommittee / Article II
- Friday, Feb. 26: John Hawkins / Texas Senate Finance Committee / Hospital Funding in State Budget
Steve Wohleb, J.D., THA’s senior vice president and general counsel, testified May 20 before the Senate Committee on Jurisprudence in support of THA priority HB 2709, which would streamline the process for clinicians to request an order of protective custody and expedite access to emergency inpatient psychiatric treatment for individuals experiencing a psychiatric crisis.
Binita Patel, PharmD, vice president of pharmacy services, Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston, testified May 19 on THA’s behalf before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee for HB 1919, which would protect patients’ rights to use their pharmacy of choice and eliminate “white bagging” of oncology drugs. Patel encouraged the committee to consider eliminating “white bagging” of other clinician-administered drugs.
Steve Wohleb, J.D., THA’s senior vice president and general counsel, testified May 17 before the Senate State Affairs Committee on HB 3046, which would prohibit state agencies and political subdivisions from cooperating with the federal government in implementing a policy or rule that has been found by a federal court to be unconstitutional. This primarily would impact public hospitals.
Cesar Lopez, J.D., THA’s associate general counsel, testified May 13 before the Senate State Affairs Committee against HB 2064, which would allow attorneys’ fees and expenses to be deducted from hospitals’ recovery for providing care to injured patients under the Texas hospital lien law.
Christine Bryan, vice president of information technology and public policy, Clarity Child Guidance Center in San Antonio, testified May 12 on THA’s behalf before the House Public Health Committee for SB 640, which would require the state health agency to assess via a survey the behavioral health technology landscape as it relates to readiness, interoperability and gaps in state supported behavioral health organizations, managed care and key Medicaid stakeholders.
Steve Wohleb, J.D., THA’s senior vice president and general counsel, testified May 6 before the Senate State Affairs Committee against SB 1669, which would prohibit hospitals from requiring employees, students, interns and residents to be vaccinated.
Cesar Lopez, J.D., THA’s associate general counsel, testified May 3 before the Senate Agriculture Committee for SB 1382, which would allow hospitals to drill a water well on its property to provide water during an emergency or natural disaster when the normal supply is disrupted.
Cameron Duncan, III, J.D., THA’s associate general counsel, testified April 28 before the House Public Health Committee for HB 3965, which would ensure patients’ access to dialysis treatment during a disaster.
Cesar Lopez, J.D., THA’s associate general counsel, testified April 28 before the House Public Health Committee on HB 3980, which would require a health facility to remove all medical equipment from a deceased individual’s body before the body is transferred to a funeral director.
Steve Wohleb, J.D., THA’s senior vice president and general counsel, testified April 21 before the Senate Health & Human Services Committee on SB 505, which would prohibit hospitals from discharging patients to an unlicensed or unpermitted group home.
Steve Wohleb, J.D., THA’s senior vice president and general counsel, testified April 21 before the House Public Committee for HB 136, which would establish a maternal mortality and morbidity data registry to help improve maternal outcomes and eliminate preventable maternal mortality and morbidity.
John Hawkins, THA’s senior vice president for government relations, testified April 20 before the Texas House County Affairs Committee for HB 3661, relating to training for rural hospitals’ governing bodies. THA’s Texas Healthcare Trustees provides education, resources and training related to health care governance for its member hospitals.
Steve Wohleb, J.D., THA’s senior vice president and general counsel, testified before the House Public Health Committee April 15 against HB 1424, which would permit the subjective exercise of religious, ethical or moral beliefs as a state sanctioned opt out of basic core job duties by health care workers.
Tommie Farrell, M.D., hospice physician, Hendrick Health in Abilene, testified April 14 on THA’s behalf before the House Public Health Committee against HB 2609, which would require a hospital to provide medical interventions on a terminally ill patient indefinitely pending transfer to another facility.
Frank Xavier Placencia, M.D., neonatologist and ethicist, Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, testified April 14 on THA’s behalf before the House Public Health Committee against HB 2609, which would require a hospital to provide medical interventions on a terminally ill patient indefinitely pending transfer to another facility.
Savitri Fedson, M.D., advanced heart failure cardiologist, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Houston, testified April 14 on THA’s behalf before the House Public Health Committee against HB 2609, which would require a hospital to provide medical interventions on a terminally ill patient indefinitely pending transfer to another facility.
Mark Casanova, MD, director of clinical ethics & supportive and palliative care, Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, testified April 14 on THA’s behalf before the House Public Health Committee against HB 2609, which would require a hospital to provide medical interventions on a terminally ill patient indefinitely pending transfer to another facility.
Mark Casanova, MD, director of clinical ethics & supportive and palliative care, Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, testified April 14 on THA’s behalf before the House Public Health Committee for HB 2943, which would make necessary clarifications to the state’s in-hospital do-not-resuscitate statue created in 2017.
Robert L. Fine, MD, clinical director, office of clinical ethics and palliative care, Baylor Scott and White Health in Dallas, testified April 14 on THA’s behalf before the House Public Health Committee for HB 2943, which would make necessary clarifications to the state’s in-hospital do-not-resuscitate statue created in 2017.
Tommie Farrell, M.D., hospice physician, Hendrick Health in Abilene, testified April 14 on THA’s behalf before the House Public Health Committee for HB 2943, which would make necessary clarifications to the state’s in-hospital do-not-resuscitate statue created in 2017.
Steve Wohleb, J.D., THA’s senior vice president and general counsel, testified April 14 before the Texas House Public Health Committee on HB 1291, which would require hospitals to notify every hospital staff person, including non-clinical staff, of their right to object to participate in an abortion procedure.
Cameron Duncan, III, J.D., THA’s associate general counsel, testified April 13 before the Texas House Insurance Committee for THA priority HB 2035, which would prohibit a health plan from denying emergency care based on a patient’s final diagnosis and adds guardrails to utilization review.
Cameron Duncan, III, J.D., THA’s associate general counsel, testified April 13 before the Texas House Insurance Committee on HB 4051, which would prohibit anti-competitive practices by health plans that limit the rates for which a hospital can contract with competing plans.
Cesar Lopez, J.D., THA’s associate general counsel, testified April 13 before the Texas House Insurance Committee for HB 621, which would allow hospitals to recoup payment for services from health plans, especially in personal injury cases.
Cameron Duncan, III, J.D., THA’s associate general counsel, testified April 13 before the Senate Business & Commerce Committee against SB 2122, which would require hospitals to provide an itemized list of services and supplies on every billing statement.
Steve Wohleb, J.D., THA’s senior vice president & associate general counsel, testified April 8 before the House County Affairs Committee for HB 3125, which would hold hospitals harmless from county court costs associated with patients’ mental health hearings.
Mark Casanova, MD, director of clinical ethics & supportive and palliative care, Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, testified April 7 on THA’s behalf before the Senate Health & Human Services Committee for SB 1944, relating to end-of-life issues and hospice care.
Mark Casanova, MD, director of clinical ethics & supportive and palliative care, Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, testified April 7 on THA’s behalf before the Senate Health & Human Services Committee against SB 917, relating to advance directives or health care or treatment decisions made by or on behalf of patients.
Robert L. Fine, MD, clinical director, office of clinical ethics and palliative care, Baylor Scott and White Health in Dallas, testified April 7 on THA’s behalf before the Senate Health & Human Services Committee for SB 1944, relating to end-of-life issues and hospice care, and against SB 917, relating to advance directives or health care or treatment decisions made by or on behalf of patients.
Becket Gremmels, system vice president of theology and ethics, CommonSpirit Health, testified April 7 before the Senate Health & Human Services Committee for SB 1944, relating to end-of-life issues and hospice care, and against SB 917, relating to advance directives or health care or treatment decisions made by or on behalf of patients.
Cesar Lopez, J.D., THA’s associate general counsel, testified April 6 before the House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Committee on HB 1617, which would codify the opportunity for extensive, time-consuming and expensive discovery for personal injury lawsuits in which the hospital is not a party. THA is working with the bill authors on language that would allow hospitals to respond by affidavit and provide evidence of the hospital costs.
Cameron Duncan, III, J.D., THA’s associate general counsel, testified April 6 before the House Insurance Committee for THA’s priority legislation, HB 2241, which would strengthen the prudent layperson standard for emergency care.
Cesar Lopez, J.D., THA’s associate general counsel, testified on April 6, 2021, before the House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Committee on HB 3063, which would require a private professional guardian to obtain the written consent of an adult ward’s next of kin prior to making a critical care or end-of-life decision for the ward.
Cameron Duncan, III, J.D., THA’s associate general counsel, testified March 31 in the House Public Health Committee in support of HB 4, which would make permanent the telemedicine flexibilities that were put in place to ensure access to care for Medicaid and CHIP clients during the pandemic.
Cesar Lopez, J.D., THA’s associate general counsel, testified March 30 before the House Business & Industry Committee, against HB 396, which would change the presumption in worker’s compensation cases in the last year to presume that any nurse that came in contact with a COVID-19 patient and subsequently suffered from disability or death from COVID-19 was exposed at their place of work.
Cameron Duncan, III, J.D., THA’s associate general counsel, testified March 30 before the House Human Services Committee in support of HB 2955, which would allow urban teaching hospitals to request an update to their indirect medical education add-on payment once a biennium.
Cesar Lopez, J.D., THA’s associate general counsel, testified March 29 before the Senate State Affairs Committee against SB 207, related to recovery of medical or health care expenses in civil actions.
Steve Wohleb, J.D., THA’s senior vice president & general counsel, testified March 25 before the House Homeland Security & Public Safety Committee against HB 2675, which would create an exception to the prohibition against carrying guns in hospitals.
Jeremy Yates, administrator, Texas Health Recovery and Wellness Center, testified March 24 on THA’s behalf before the House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Committee in support of HB 2709, which would simplify the process for hospitals to request orders of protective custody for certain mental health patients.
Cameron Duncan, III, J.D., THA’s associate general counsel, testified March 24 before the House Public Health Committee in support of HB 2052, which would increase transparency in hospital investigations.
Cameron Duncan, III, J.D., THA’s associate general counsel, testified March 24 before the House Public Health Committee for HB 326 on preventing workplace violence in health care facilities.
Cesar Lopez, J.D., THA’s associate general counsel, testified March 24 before the House Public Health Committee on HB 2211 on hospital visitation during a disaster.
John Hawkins, THA’s senior vice president of government relations, testified March 23 before the Senate Health & Human Services Committee in support of SB 412, which would make permanent the telemedicine flexibilities introduced during the public health emergency to provide Medicaid and CHIP services.
John Hawkins, THA’s senior vice president of government relations, testified March 23 before the Senate Health & Human Services Committee against SB 1137, which would require price disclosure of hospital services.
John Hawkins, THA’s senior vice president of government relations, testified March 17 before the Senate Health & Human Services Committee on SB 809, relating to reporting of federal money received for the coronavirus disease public health emergency.
Cameron Duncan, III, J.D., THA’s associate general counsel, testified March 17 before the House Public Health Committee on HB 1490, which would require hospitals to disclose the cash price of hospital services.
Steve Wohleb, J.D., THA’s senior vice president and general counsel, testified March 17 before the House Public Health Committee against HB 1164, which would designate health care entities as centers of excellence for the management and treatment of placenta accreta spectrum disorder.
Binita Patel, Pharm.D., vice president of pharmacy services, Memorial Hermann Health System, testified March 16 on behalf of THA before the House Insurance Committee in support of HB 1586 to eliminate white bagging.
Carrie Kroll, THA’s vice president of public policy, quality & public health, testified March 11, 2021 before the House State Affairs Committee in support of HB 3, the Texas Pandemic Response Act.
John Hawkins, THA’s senior vice president of government relations, testified March 11, 2021, before the House County Affairs Committee on hospital payments.
John Hawkins, THA’s senior vice of government relations, testified virtually March 1, 2021, before the Texas House Appropriations Subcommittee on Article II (Health Care) on hospital funding in the state budget.
John Hawkins, THA’s senior vice president of government relations, testified Feb. 26 before the Senate Finance Committee in support of hospital funding in the proposed state budget.