Texas’ Senate State Affairs committee has unanimously approved a bill to give rural hospitals an exemption from the state’s “corporate practice of medicine law,” which does not allow physicians to work directly for a hospital or any other corporation, according to a Texas Tribune report.
If the bill passes, hospitals in counties with populations of less than 50,000 — or those that are the only community hospital in the area — would be able to directly hire physicians. Texas is one of five states to enforce the corporate practice of medicine law, which has been around since the 1800s, according to the report.
The bill will now move on to the full Senate for consideration.
Read the Texas Tribune report on rural Texas hospitals.
Read more about this bill:
– Proposed Texas Bills Would Overturn Ban on Physician Employment at Hospitals
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