This Week

WASHINGTON, DC – US Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) this week introduced legislation aimed at reducing and simplifying the amount of paperwork in the nation’s health care system.

The bill is called The Health Care Paperwork Reduction and Fraud Prevention Act.  The measure would establish a bipartisan commission to review the health care system and consider, among other things, whether government agencies should be required to use standardized credentialing and billing forms (which private sector insurance companies would be encouraged to use as well).

The bill is in part the result of meetings Thornberry held with area doctors over the past 12 months and a series of town hall meetings on health care he is holding this year. 

“I’ve heard a lot of different concerns and complaints about the Nation’s health care system,” Thornberry stated.  “But one concern that seems to stand out is the overwhelming amount of forms and paperwork that doctors and patients have to fill out. 

“It is truly incredible.  Today in America, if a doctor wants to treat a person who happens to be on Medicare or Medicaid, they have to contend with over 132,000 pages of rules and regulations.  Over 132,000 pages!  That’s over 10 times bigger than the US tax code, and we all know how complex that is.  In fact, if you have a hard time figuring out your taxes on April 15th, you probably have a good idea of what most doctors have to put up with every day. 

“Health care is by no means an easy issue.  But there’s got to be an easier way of doing things when it comes to the forms and paperwork people have to fill out.  My bill’s intended to look at ways to help solve some of the problems in this area which doctors and patients currently face.”

In addition to establishing a commission to look into these problems and report back within a year on possible solutions, Thornberry’s bill would also provide immediate assistance by, among other things, establishing a toll-free number for doctors to call if they have questions about billing or need any other information related to Medicare.  The ultimate goal, Thornberry said, was to look for ways to reduce the federal paperwork burden on the Nation’s doctors and patients – something which physicians in the 13th Congressional District agree needs to be done.

“The volume of regulations is so huge and so grotesquely convoluted as to be unknowable,” said Dr. James W. Godwin of Wichita Falls.  “The law needs to be simple enough, logical enough, and pertinent enough to daily life that compliance is simple and straightforward.”

Dr. Sheryl Williams of Amarillo agreed.  “I love seeing patients,” she stated, “but lately the paperwork – endless dictation with the proper number of case history elements to support the proper federal code – makes the practice of medicine less than satisfying.”

A bill currently before the Texas Legislature would slightly broaden the powers of the Donley County Hospital District and assist the district with meeting its long-term goals.

House Bill 2488, introduced last week by Rep. Warren Chisum, would amend the district’s enabling legislation to allow the hospital board to issue revenue bonds to restructure debt and to permit the district to lease office space to the Texas Department of Human Services. 

The bill was being considered by the House County Affairs Committee at press time.

“When we got the vote of the people in August 1998, it was a mandate to provide services to the people of Donley County,” said district administrator Alan Graham, referring to an election in which local citizens voted 348 to 216 to prevent the hospital board from selling the Medical Center Nursing Home.

Since that vote, the district has paid off the bonds issued in 1971 to build the Medical Center and has undertaken a $1.4 million renovation of the 30-year-old facility.

Graham said the district had planned to pay for the renovation with revenue from the state’s tobacco settlement, which was expected to be more than $200,000 per year. But the district only received approximately $20,000 from the tobacco fund last year, and that amount may be lower this year.

With the renovation nearing completion this month, the district’s construction note is up for renewal on June 30, 2001. The district is paying interest of one under prime on the note, which was 8.5 percent a couple of weeks ago, Graham said. By restructuring the debt with general obligation tax revenue notes, the district could get a lower interest rate – perhaps less than five percent. The bonds would be set up on a 15-year payout.

“This will give us a way to manage the debt now that we don’t have the resources we had anticipated,” he said.

Graham said the hospital district has kept the same tax rate for three years, and he does not foresee any changes in that rate. The ten new beds added to the nursing home through the renovation are expected to generate a gross income of $240,000 per year with the district netting half of that.

“We’ve been able to update a 30-year-old facility, which was in need of a facelift and facing mounting infrastructure problems. And with the 10 beds, we will generate the revenue to pay for it without effecting John Q. Public’s tax bill.”

The new beds will be certified this month, and there is already a waiting list of potential new residents, Graham said.

Next on the hospital district’s agenda is a plan that would centralize all health services in Donley County in one location by creating a complex on the grounds near the Medical Center. The plan calls for three new buildings to be constructed on three acres south of the nursing home. These would include a new clinic, an EMS building, and a community services building, which would be available for lease to health service providers, the Texas Department of Health (TDH), and the Texas Department of Human Services (TDHS).

“These plans are nothing new,” Graham said. “We’ve been talking about doing this since 1998.”

The proposed new rural health clinic will be built by Dr. John Howard, whose current facility is not adequate to meet the growing needs of the people of Donley County. The district will either sell land or lease it on a long-term basis to Dr. Howard, who will construct a building between 3,500 and 4,000 square feet.

An adjoining facility would house the Associated Ambulance Authority and EMS personnel, which are now located in a temporary rented facility across from the fire station. Co-locating the EMS with the rural health clinic and new advances in telemedicine will offer the opportunity to provide expanded emergency medical services, Graham said. The EMS building will encompass approximately 3,000 square feet.

The proposed community services building would house Department of Health offices and immunization clinics, physical therapy services currently provided through an agreement with Collingsworth General Hospital, and Department of Human Services offices.

By law the district can lease space to provide medical services, but since TDHS – which operates Medicaid and food stamp programs for the state – isn’t a medical service per se, leasing space to that agency may have been called into question. HB 2488 will specifically allow the district to lease space to TDHS.

Graham said the EMS and community services facilities will be built with a grant from the Amarillo Area Foundation and with other funds on hand.

“We want to be able to provide adequate services to the people and visitors of Donley County,” Graham said. “That’s our commitment, and the time is right to do this.”

Dr. Howard has expressed satisfaction with the hospital district’s plans, calling them “forward thinking and planning at its best.”

Groundbreaking on the new buildings could take place this summer. An open house of the renovated Medical Center Nursing Home is slated for May.

The Donley County Hospital District was created by an act of the 61st Legislature in 1969.

The deadline to file for local offices is less than one week away and most local entities still had very few candidates as of press time.

Citizens can apply to run for these positions through next Wednesday, March 21, 2001.

Six governments in Donley County have positions opening this year. All positions are elected at-large within the respective cities or districts.

The Clarendon CISD office was closed for spring break this week. But as of last Tuesday, incumbents Reneé Betts, Jim Shelton, and Marvin Thompson are each seeking another three-year term on the Board of Trustees.

In the City of Clarendon, Mayor Tex Selvidge and Alderman Michael Tibbets have signed up to run this year, but no one had yet filed for the other open alderman seat. That position is currently held by Aldermen Bobbie Kidd (filling the late James Owens’ term).

With three seats available in the City of Hedley, only Bruce Howard has filed for re-election to the board of aldermen. Other expiring terms are those of Shauna Monroe and Jim Roberts.

In Howardwick, Billy F. Woods has filed to run for mayor. Dewey Linley and Alderman Mike Rowland have filed to run for seats on the board of aldermen. Alderman Shirley Ariola had not filed for reelection as of press time.

The Donley County Hospital District has three seats up for election on the Board of Directors. The positions of Place 1 – Don Thornberry, Place 2 – Nelson Christie, and Place 3 – David Strange all expire this year. Thornberry and Christie have both filed to run again.

One person, Jason Sargent, has filed to run for Hedley CISD board. The terms of Mike Wallendorff, Jan Farris, and Carole Ward are expiring.

Elections will be held on Saturday, May 5, 2001.

   Interested individuals should go by or call the business office of the board they are interested in for more information.

A monetary award in the amount of $1,267 was made to Clarendon High School as part of the Texas Successful Schools Award System, CHS Principal Larry Jeffers announced this week.

The school was recognized for gains in student performance on indicators that are part of the Academic Excellence Indicator System, more commonly known as the state’s report card.

According to a school press release, CHS is among 552 cash-winning schools statewide receiving awards for: 1) exemplary recognized, or acceptable performance; 2) a ranking in the top 25 percent of all campuses in the unique comparison group statewide, with respect to growth on the Texas Learning Index derived from the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) reading and mathematics tests given at Grades 3 through 8, and 10; and 3) a campus exemption rate in TAAS reading, math, and writing for special education students and for Limited English Proficient students that was not deemed excessive.

The awards are based on the spring 2000 performance on the TAAS test, which measures performance in reading, writing, and mathematics.  Schools also had to meet performance standards for dropout and attendance rates.

Cash awards ranging from $500 to $5,000 per school were given, depending on the number of students served at the school. 

In the exemplary category, schools had at least 90 percent of all students and students in each student population group (White, African American, Hispanic, and Economically Disadvantaged) passing each section of the TAAS, a 1998-99 dropout rate of one percent or less for all students and each student group, and an attendance rate of at 94 percent or greater. Clarendon High School falls in this category.

TSSAS award recipients had to rank in the top 25 percent of all campuses that are in the same unique comparison group statewide, with respect to their growth in student performance in reading and math.  Campus categories are based on several factors including the percent of students identified as African American, Hispanic, White, Economically Disadvantaged, Limited English Proficient, and Mobile.

In addition, if the campus exemption rate in any subject area of the TAAS test was greater than the exemption rates of 75 percent of all campuses in a least one subject area, the campus was eliminated from the list of possible winners.

A total of $2.5 million is being awarded to schools this year under TSSAS.

Sue Church, County FSA Agent

Just ask Brenda Swinney of Hedley if taking advantage of the health screenings at the Health and Wealth Fair on the Clarendon College campus can make a big difference in a person’s life. 

She knew she didn’t have a great deal of energy several months prior to last year’s Health and Wealth Fair, but she had no idea that a simple hemoglobin test could identify the source of the problem.  Vicky Robertson, R.N., related that she re-ran the test on Ms. Swinney because she couldn’t believe the initial results.  Only after a second test did she inform Brenda Swinney that it was important to see a doctor immediately, which Brenda did that day.

Her 5.0 hemoglobin count was cause for grave concern as the ideal range is 12-16.  Even one year later, Brenda reports that her energy level is not where it should be, but it has improved dramatically.  She is taking prescribed iron supplements and can tell a world of difference in her current condition.

Each year several men have been referred to their physicians as a result of abnormal PSA readings at the health fair.  In 1999, a CISD employee learned of her diabetic condition following a glucose test at the Health and Wealth Fair. 

Another attendee at last year’s fair found it advisable to follow up with her physician regarding the results from her bone density test. 

These are just a few of the reported outcomes and benefits of the tests at this annual event while others have not been documented.  In any event, the Health and Wealth Fair provides immeasurable value to the lives of area residents.

The “Be a Champion of Your Health and Wealth IV” will take place Wednesday, March 21, at the Clarendon College Bairfield Activity Center from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Except for breast mammograms and immunizations, all health screens offered at the fair will be free of charge.  They will include glucose, cholesterol, PSA, blood pressure, hemoglobin glaucoma, bone density, and hearing tests.  Supporting the sponsorship of these health screens will be the Donley County Hospital District, which includes the Associated Ambulance Authority and the Medical Center Nursing Home; the Clarendon Family Medical Center; the Northwest Texas Health Care System; Lions Eye Bank; Novartis Pharmaceutical Company; and Miracle Ear.

The blood-drawn health screens will be conducted in the north hallway of the Bairfield Activity Center this year.  To get more accurate test results individuals are encouraged to fast 12 hours prior to having the blood work done.

In addition to the health screens will be a blood drive by the Coffee Memorial Blood bank, educational exhibits and story time for children by the Friends of the Library Literacy Council.  The Internal Revenue Service will assist with income tax return preparation.  To come prepared with information needed for preparing your tax return, be sure to bring in a copy of your 1999 income tax return, W-2’s and 1099’s for 2000, and social security numbers for individuals to be claimed on your 2000 income tax return.  Additionally, the Social Security Administration can help individuals sign up for the direct deposit of their benefits.

At 12:15 p.m. the kickoff for the annual Walk Across Texas campaign will begin with a representative of the Big 5 Sports Center delivering a brief message on “Motivating Yourself to Exercise” followed by the drawing of door special prizes for Walk Across Texas participants.

There will be a live remote broadcast provided by local radio station KEFH 99.3 FM throughout the duration of the Health and Wealth Fair.  Exhibitors of the event are offering door prizes which will be drawn for each half hour and will be announced on the air.

For those wanting to take in lunch or a light snack at the Health and Wealth Fair, Cheryl and Bob Wiggins, of Catering by Cheryl, will be offering concessions for fair goers.  The Wiggins have several new menu items they will make available.

The Health and Wealth Fair is an annual event that provides thousands of dollars in personal savings to area residents.  This is a stress-free setting that allows individuals the opportunity to keep a check on their health while sharing in some community fellowship.  Be sure to mark March 21 on your calendars, as it’s an event you won’t want to miss.  For more information about the fair, call the Extension Office at 874-2141.

Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander last week delivered a total of $200.7 million in monthly sales tax payments to 1,105 Texas cities and 119 counties.

Local sales tax rebates plummeted. Clarendon’s total dropped nearly 49 percent to $8,819.10. Hedley was down more than 78 percent to $35.70, and Howardwick fell more than 19 percent to $873.31.

Yearly totals are also down in Clarendon and Howardwick but up slightly in Hedley.

March sales tax rebates represent sales taxes collected in January and reported to the Comptroller in February.

For details of sales tax payments to individual cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose districts, locate the Monthly Sales and Use Tax Allocation Comparison Summary Report on the Comptroller’s web site.

AUSTIN – American Electric Power’s (AEP) West Texas Utilities (WTU) subsidiary has filed a request with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) for permission to recover in customer bills approximately $59.5 million in under-collected costs for fuel used to generate electricity. 

A WTU press release says the filing is the result of the continuing increase in natural gas costs throughout the entire country.  These costs have exceeded significantly the amount charged to customers.

If approved as requested, the surcharge would begin with the May billing cycle and continue through December.  Residential customers using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity will see an increase of $17.40 a month during this seven-month period.

WTU customers this month began seeing the impact of an interim increase in the fuel factors used to determine the fuel charge portion of the bill to more currently reflect the market price of natural gas.  However, this interim increase in fuel factors, which still must receive final approval from the PUCT, did not address the approximately $59.5 million in uncollected fuel costs for the period from July 2000 to January 2001.

Natural gas prices from July 2000 through January 2001 were up to four times higher than prices during the same period of the prior year.  Despite the fact that 43 percent of WTU’s generation is fueled by low-cost coal, the sheer magnitude of the continued increases in the price of natural gas that began last summer prompted WTU to request the fuel factor increase in January and now the surcharge.

Fuel costs are an expense of generating electricity, which WTU must pay to fuel suppliers.  WTU does not make any profit on fuel costs as the PUCT requires that these costs be passed through to customers at the price paid by WTU.

Investor-owned electric utilities in Texas, like WTU, are required by the PUCT to use fuel factors based on cost estimates to collect the projected cost of fuel used to generate electricity at their power plants.  When the actual cost of fuel is significantly more than the amount customers paid in their monthly bills, then PUCT rules require that the utility file a request for permission to recover these amounts through a surcharge.

For more information about AEP and its subsidiaries, visit their website at http://www.AEP.com.