Recently there has been much attention in the media and at the Texas Capitol placed on surprise bills for Texas consumers. One bill aimed at addressing surprise billing, Senate Bill 507 by Senator Kelly Hancock, is a step in the right direction for consumers to have an option for recourse against large medical bills.

However, expanding mediation efforts does not address the root of the problem, which is why we must supplement Senator Hancock’s efforts by taking aim at a new target. The “surprise” associated with medical bills stems from surprise coverage – when a patient is woefully underinsured and pays a larger out-of-pocket expense than anticipated for medical care.

A recent study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, which was conducted by Rice University and funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield, finds that freestanding emergency centers (FECs) are cheaper alternatives for emergency medical care than hospital-based emergency centers.

Outside of that critical finding, the study diverges on a less academic path to intentionally criticize the FEC model, misattributing or mischaracterizing data along the way.

AUSTIN, Texas, April 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Texas Association of Freestanding Emergency Centers (TAFEC) supports legislation introduced in the Texas Legislature aimed at increasing oversight of health insurance companies and protecting consumers from surprise medical costs.

The bills, many of which have bi-partisan support, seek to increase transparency in the health insurance industry, ensure the Texas Department of Insurance has the resources to enforce current statutes regulating health insurance companies, and allow healthcare providers to advocate on behalf of their patients for fair payment.

When it comes to the FEC market, the Austin Generator Service Team is “second to none” in delivering exceptional results! We are the industry experts who provide a complete approach to FEC Emergency Standby Generator requirements. Success begins with more than selecting a suitable generator system. It must be properly installed and maintained by trained professionals. And beyond our technical and industry expertise, the AGS Team cares about you and your experience.

My background had previously been practicing emergency medicine at academic medical centers and serving in various leadership roles at the state and national level with the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). I started becoming frustrated by hospital inefficiencies, long patient wait times, suboptimal patient care, and physician burn-out in a hospital setting. I started moonlighting at Inwood and Full Spectrum Emergency Rooms, both physician-owned independent free standing emergency departments about 18 months ago. I quickly realized how free standing departments offer a much better health care delivery model and I have been hooked ever since. I now work full time at Full Spectrum ER, part time at First Choice ER, and am the first free-standing emergency physician to serve on the Board of Directors for ACEP. As a national leader for our specialty, I serve as the Board liaison to our free-standing section and advocate for physician satisfaction, excellence in patient care, and improved health care delivery through free standing emergency medicine.

Around the country, lawmakers, health insurers, and healthcare providers are attempting to address rising healthcare costs. While many factors contribute to this problem, among the most discussed are surprise billing and out-of-network healthcare. But much of what we hear about these issues is misleading, particularly when it comes from insurance companies, who attempt to blame rising healthcare costs on freestanding emergency centers (FECs).

In Texas, there are more than 325 FECs in operation. Their popularity is a testament to free market principles that have introduced much needed competition, resulting in increased access to care and convenience in the form of reduced wait times and a more dignified care environment compared to traditional hospital ERs.

My name is John Hennessy, I am a registered nurse and I am also the Charge Nurse at Golden Triangle Emergency Center Orange. I have worked with GTEC since we opened on April 1^st 2015. A typical day at GTEC Orange involves assessing and treating patients. Being the charge nurse, I also assume managerial responsibilities. I am an advocate for my fellow nurses and patients and make sure everything runs smoothly.

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Texas Association of Freestanding Emergency Centers (TAFEC) has called on the Texas Legislature and the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) to increase the collection of health insurance payment data to establish clear standards for the usual and customary reimbursements that insurance companies are required by law to pay healthcare providers on behalf of policyholders.

Currently, Texas law requires insurance providers to pay for non-contracted emergency health care at the usual and customary rate for emergency care. However, there are no uniform guidelines for insurance companies to follow, which allows insurers to determine their own arbitrary rates. While some insurers provide adequate payment for services, others are paying at a percentage below what is legally required, which means patients do not receive the full benefit of the coverage they purchased.

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Texas Association of Freestanding Emergency Centers (TAFEC) is releasing a recent analysis of complaints made to the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) on behalf of out-of-network health care providers that demonstrates how chronic and abusive underpayment by insurance companies is the primary cause of surprise medical bills for patients.

In the fall of 2016, a third-party billing company acting on behalf of freestanding emergency centers filed complaints alleging that insurers ignored their legal obligations to pay all or part of claims for reimbursement submitted on behalf of policyholders for services rendered at the centers, and requested TDI's intervention. The billing company filed so many complaints that the agency's resources were overwhelmed and the company began holding complaints until those that had been filed were resolved.

Hello, my name is Annie Kovatch, I am the Charge nurse at Golden Triangle Emergency Center in Port Arthur.

By Dr. Janna Welch
Dr. Janna Welch is an ER physician at Five Star ER, the Assistant Program Director – University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School Emergency Residency Program.

Following the election, we have been made painfully aware of the problems facing our country. The many challenges of our changing healthcare system are among the biggest, and that is no less true for Texas.

My name is Danny Carey and I am an emergency room RN at Golden Triangle Emergency Center (GTEC) in Port Arthur, TX. I have been with GTEC since we opened our doors in 2014.

The practice of medicine has changed a lot in the 15 years.  The emergency medical care that we provide our patients has improved significantly.  However, this is true in spite of the fact that forces outside emergency physicians’ control have needlessly increased the emotional, mental, physical, and time burden on us as individual physicians. Physicians have less control over our hospital-based practice environment than ever before.

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I have been with Golden Triangle since its inception in July of 2014 for the Port Arthur location, and April of 2015 for my current Orange location.

Freestanding emergency rooms are taking it on the chin in the media as the low hanging fruit that some businesses and consumers want to blame for their out-of-pocket health care expenses, but the facts and objective, generally accepted business principles don’t tell that story. What is the true story?

As chief medical officer of Elite Care, a freestanding emergency center with facilities in San Antonio and across the state, I would like to address some of the assertions made about emergency care in a recent Viewpoints column, "Freestanding emergency rooms threaten health of Texas business," by a representative of the Texas Association of Business.

All emergency rooms see low acuity patients - lots of them. This is because patients are not doctors, so the determination of whether symptoms are emergent or non-emergent can only be made after seeing a doctor. For this reason, the prudent layperson standard was created.

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I received my Bachelor of Science decree in Wildlife Biology from Western Illinois University and went on to study medicine at Southern Illinois University.  It was in medical school that I realized my passion for emergency medicine.  I appreciated that emergency physicians had to know so much about every aspect of medicine, while also be prepared to handle medical emergencies no matter where they occur.