(Carrie Feibel/KUHF Public Radio)
Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services, visited Houston today. She toured Ben taub hospital and spoke to a national gathering of medical students. She also stepped squarely into the ongoing political debate in Texas over women’s health funding
Sebelius took a guided tour of Ben Taub’s ER and saw a quick demonstration of Harris County’s computerized records. The system allows medical data to be shared between clinics, and lets the emergency room connect with ambulances.
Sebelius says that coordination will be crucial in 2014 when more Texans qualify for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
But the Secretary had a more immediate controversy to address. And that was her disagreement with Governor Perry over whether Planned Parenthood clinics could be excluded from a Medicaid program that pays for women’s gynecological exams.
(More at KUHF Public Radio)
Related:
HHS Secretary: No Waiver for Women’s Health Program in Texas (Houston Chronicle)
OTHER HEADLINES:
- Houston Unemployment Rises As State Rate Falls (KUHF Public Radio)
- Housing Authority Under Scrutiny Over Truck, Checks (KTRK 13 News)
- Two Teens Arrested in Girl Scout ‘Cookie Cash’ Robbery (KRIV 26 News)
- More Texas Doctors Opting Out of Medicare (Houston Chronicle)
- Youth Program Benefactor’s Struggle, Recovery Subject of New Film (Houston Chronicle)
- Amid Finger-Pointing, Hurricane Relief Lags (Texas Tribune)
OPINIONS ON THE NEWS:
- Gov Rick Perry: Texas’ Choices Make it Target for Obama Administration (Austin American Statesman)
President Obama and his allies are once again putting their political agenda ahead of sound policy and the delivery of cost-efficient health care. They are trampling on the rights of states like Texas to create programs like the Women’s Health Program and to have Texans administer it for Texans. - Editorial: Do Electronic Medical Records Save Money? (New York Times)
Experts have long argued that computerized patient records will save the health system money by helping doctors reduce the number of redundant or inappropriate tests they order. A new study published in Health Affairs, disputes that, suggesting that office-based physicians who have access to electronic records of patient care are actually more likely to order additional imaging tests and laboratory tests than doctors who rely on paper records.