Texas considers performance-based payments; Calif. docs oppose mammography bill

These two states are considering bills that affect quality of health care.

The Texas Tribune: House Gives First OK To Dewhurst's Health Reform
As crafted, SB 8 gives the Health and Human Services Commission permission to test various performance-based payment programs to increase efficiency and find ways to link payments to improved patient outcomes. Despite a few clarifying amendments, lawmakers' efforts to tack on controversial measures like abortion and end-of-life reporting, Medical Board reform and scope-of-practice expansions were knocked down (Ramshaw, 5/24). 

California Healthline: Payment, Practice, Patient Protection Collide
It looked like one of those slam-dunk legislative proposals. ... [But] several physician association representatives testified against the bill, which requires practitioners to notify mammography patients if their breast density is at a high level. ... women could be financially responsible for costly follow-up scans when they're not medically necessary, [Carolyn Ginno of the California Medical Association] said (Gorn, 5/24).