Harris County Medical Society

Areas of Ethics:

Physician Information - for more information from other sources like American Medical Association and Texas Medical Association, click here...

For information on specific issues:

Medical Record Information for Physicians - information regarding retention requirements, release of records, processing time for request, charges for records, and much more. For more information...
Opening or Closing a Practice - information on how to open, close, or departing from a group practice. For more information...
Physician - Patient Relationship - information on creating the physician-patient relationship to ending the physician-patient relationship. For more information...
Duty-Bound Physician Reporting Duties in Texas - A physician's duty to nonpatients is a complex area of the law and state courts around the country have taken contrary positions. This article provided by TMLT provies a summary of the reporting requirements for Texas physicians in three areas that affect third parties: reporting impaired drivers; reporting child abuse; and reporting patients who make threats of violence. To continue reading click here...
Consent for Treatment of a Minor - information on the treatment of a minor with divorced parents, emergency care, non-parent consent, and minors consent to their own medical treatment. For more information...
Communicating with Patients - information on communicating with patients electronically, deaf or hearing impared patients, or non-english speaking patients. For more information...
Guidelines for the Treatment of Self, Family, & Friends - information from the AMA, TMA, and the TMB on the guidelines on treating self, family, & friends. For more information...
Conflicts of Interest - information regarding self referral and when making a disclosure statement. For more information...
HCMS Physicians with Complaints - if you are an HCMS physician member and want to file a complaint through HCMS against another HCMS physician member. For more information...^{members only}
EMTALA FAQ's & Resources - information on the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act. For more information...
HCMS Advocacy - Texas Medical Board - information regarding TMB rules, updates, complaint process, physician licensure, and more. For more information...

Patient Information - takes patients to links that provides useful resources and information regarding ethical issues effecting patients.

Patient Rights & Responsibilities - addresses the rights of patients concerning the welfare of their health care as well as the patients' responsibilities in establishing a successful patient-physician relationship. For more information...
Medical Record Information - address the frequently asked questions concerning medical records, knowing what it consist of, how to obtain copies, and much more. For more information...
E-Prescribing Information for the Patient - address what e-prescribing is, why its being used, and how important it is for physicians and patients. For more information...
Check on Your Physician - The Texas Medical Board (TMB) has a verification database available for the public to obtain a profile about any physician licensed to practice within the state of Texas. The information in the database includes, but not limited to, a physician's medical education background, specialty, office address, licensure and registration status, board certification, hospital privileges, and disciplinary status and reports. For more information...
If you have a complaint
- Againist a Texas physician, the Harris County Medical Society (HCMS) and the Texas Medical Board (TMB) are two organizations that can accept complaints against physicians. For more information...
- If you have Medicare and have a complaint - Texas Medical Foundation (TMF) Quality Institute - is the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for people with Medicare in Texas. TMF wants to ensure that every doctor, facility, and agency provides Medicare patients with high quality medical care. Patients, family members, and/or physicians can assist in filing complaints regarding the quality of care against hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, ambulatory surgery centers, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, and hospice agencies. For more information...

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