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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 1992)
j August 31,1H Monday August 31,1992 Texas A&M University CAMPUSThe Battalion Page A5 seters this race," Rel R- N.J., said del •onference kJ 'he public seer ed of mud-slinJ it up the gossii ates." neniche, R-Cal| A'ould like tost kets across Ik last couplet election. )uld actually I i before that das. a is already ms n, early releases ?pen, Dimenidu ARY Cardwell, a 23- r chemical en^ or from Victo- ed in an auto- nt in Angletor jrsday, August were held Sat- : 29, at Palms ^ngleton anti ty was cremat- f Texas ; new agency ATED PRESS ’he doors opet e state's newest igned to protect ;rly and disabled oartment of Pro- tulatory Service ion budget, wil 5,600 staff from ies — the Texas Tuman Services Department of id Mental Retai- are created th nore impartiali: ;ations and more designed to pro- rople. anything to pre- i on the amount recurring to chil- ;abled and other ;S . . . I will con- at accomplish- tille Miller, PRS’ ve director. “I t a success until :antly made an creation was rderal court pact ig-running law- ate over the care tarded. igency isn't offi- 1 Tuesday, Ms. ency's six-mem- oard have been n g s - •licas DS tO iristi s already aware y of the ships' is Christ;," he ■ to be helpful ted and respon- iristi Area Eco- nt Corp. recent- oposal to bring Corpus Christi fest and for the ericas. >al would be to eport the ships i, according to gislature select- as the state's of- ry city to cele- s anniversary solution passed md signed by rd that Corpus y horrieport the ils say the city ) host the ships 't have to buy Christi author! no intention of lez, spokesman 1 cities such as ng to purchase Slina, Pinta and MICHAEL MARSHALL/The Battalion James A. Rhodes Jr., a piano tuner technician from Huntsville, tunes the piano in the flagroom of the MSC. Rhodes also tunes the pianos for special events in Rudder. Troubled doctors plaque public, three state board medical members allege Practice of licensing physicians facing potential revision by Texas State Board of Medical Examiners THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HOUSTON — Three members of the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners say the pub lic is not being protected from troubled doc tors, the Houston Chronicle reported Sunday. Dr. Richard Stasney, Cindy Jenkins and Bar bara June Coe place the blame for that on the board itself, which acts as judge, jury, stand-in parent and absolver for doctors whose person al and medical practices get them into trouble, the Chronicle re- "Physician discipline should be about 90 percent of what we do. We don't regulate. Nowhere in the law does it say what a doctor can or can't do." -Cindy Jenkins, member of the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners ported in a copy right story. The 15-mem her board of medical examiners is made up of nine medical doctors, three doctors of osteopathy and three members of the general pub lic. They decide who should be licensed in the state of Texas and who among the 42,408 doctors with Texas licenses should lose them. Jenkins said if she were to rewrite the law that governs medical practice in the state, she would remove from its preamble the state ment: "The current system relating to licensing physicians and surgeons is basically a sound, workable system and should be continued." . "It should not be part of the -^ct at this time," she- said. "It's not true." Perhaps the most critical issue is the board's lack of consensus about what its role should be. "We are not a disciplinary board," said Dr. Milam Pharo, a former board member. "We are actually a regulatory board. "Discipline should be in the civil or criminal court. We don't discipline doctors. We are not a penal system. We are a regulatory system." But Jenkins disagrees. "Physician discipline should be about 90 percent of what we do," she said. "We don't regulate. Nowhere in the law does it say what a doctor can or can't do." Such differences of opinion might not make much difference if the whole 15-mem- ber board made the majority of decisions. But more than 80 per- cent of board actions arise from agreements hashed out in secret be tween the doctors in question and one or two board members. The results are seldom ideal, and that draws scorn from Les Weisbrod, a Dallas malpractice attorney. "Their story is that if we prosecuted them, then the doctors would bring in some slick lawyer and they'd take it to state court, and the whole thing would be reversed. So it's a lot better to just plea bargain with these guys and settle for what we could get." A Chronicle survey of board or ders* minutes of committee meet ings and board statistics issued publicly during the past four years shows: -At least seven convicted felons who came before the board or one of its com mittees were allowed to practice medicine, with some restrictions. *At least 19 physicians were convicted of felonies or plea bargained to felony charges and, according to board records, are practicing medicine in Texas at this time. •Doctors who practice substandard care, abuse patients and use drugs and alcohol to excess continue to care for patients, sometimes with no board action and oth ers after receiving little more than a slap on the wrist and a minimal monitoring by a skeleton board staff. •Complaints against physicians who have been found to provide substandard care by federal, state and private agencies are routinely dismissed. •Fewer than 8 percent of complaints filed actually result in disciplinary actions. •Most physicians who are disciplined by the board are placed on probation for five years, during which time they appear at the board office once or twice a year and meet with probation officers no more than once or twice a year. Dance & Aerobics Classes Look For Our 1992 Fall Brochure On the TAMU Campus We offer over 150 special interest classes for your enjoyment Register NOW for Aerobics classes. Call us at 845-1631 for more details. ■ N Aerobics Classes Registration Begins Aug 31st - 12noon We have additional sections available. Beginning Aerobics M/W, Sept 7 - Dec 2 5:30-6:30pm TAMU/ $30 Other/$35 Registration for all other classes will begin on Monday September 7th at 12 noon in the MSC Craft Center, located in the MSC Basement. T/Th, Sept 8 - Dec 3 5:30-6:30pm TAMU/ $30 Other/$35 M/W, Sept? 6:45-7:45pm TAMU/ $30 Dec 2 Other/$35 Dance Classes Registration Begins Sept 7th - 12 noon MSC University PLUS - MSC Basement Beg. Country & Western Dance Wed. Sept 16 - Oct 14 6-7:15pm $20/student $2 5/nonstudent Wed. Sept 16 - Oct 14 7:30-8:45pm $20/student $25/nonstudent Adv. Country & Western Dance Wed. Oct 28 - Nov 18 6-7:30pm $20/student $2 5/nonstudent Jitterbug Mon. Oct 12 - Nov 9 6-7pm $20/student Mon. Oct 12- 7:15-8:15pm $20/student $25/nonstudent Nov 9 $2 5/nonstudent Wed. Oct 28 - Nov 18 7:45-9pm $20/student $25/nonstudent Ballroom Dance I Tues. Sept 22, 29. Oct 6, 20, 27 7:15-8:30pm $18/student $23/nonstudent HP 10B Business Calculator The best business calculator under $50. Come try it today. HP Calculators - the best for your success. *\ reations by arm Karen Bettencourt Wedding Coordinator • Tuxedo Rentals • Invitations • Expert Alterations • Complete line of Wedding Accessories (Shoes, Jewelry, Veils, and more) 822-5790 1710 S. Texas, Bryan (In Brazos Business College Strip Center) HEWLETT PACKARD Perfect for Fine 341 HP10B LIST 39 9 ? SALE 3000 Don't miss out on the best way to reach ASM Students, Faculty and Staff The Battalion University Northgate 846-4232 . * Culpepper 693-9388 Bookstores village 846-4818 3 OFF-CAMPUS STORES j Tune-Up Special J FREE OIL CHANGE I With Purchase of Regular I Price Tune-Up with coupon I •NOBODY KNOWS TUNE-UPS LIKE WE DO" I jpiTOISMAIMieE Not good in conjunction with any other coupon/offer. Guaranteed for 12 months or 12,000 miles *See center manager for details. OF BRYAN • COLLEGE STATION * A poorly-tuned car produces 601 HARVEY RD 200 times the harmful emissions COLLEGE STATION °l 'I 16 properly maintained car. (2 BLKS, EAST OF TEXAS AVE.) - A welMur1ed car can use 9% 693-6189 less fuel than a poorly-tuned COME TRY YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD FAMILY RESTURANT ^A/lariAcmJyi restaurant V 764-8292 _ Kroger Center next to Pet Paradise College Station SUMMER SPECIAL Lunch Specials $2" Lunch Buffet..... $3" Dinner Specials $3 49 Dinner Buffet $4 75 Take-out Orders Welcome Sun.-Fri. 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Everyday 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. > MSC Basement Level Call 845-1631 A. e r of i t The Areas Most Comprehensive Athletic Facility Now with Two Great Locations! 1900 W. Villa Maria 2220 S. Texas Ave. 823-0971 693^0093 Cardiovascular ★ StairMaster ★ Lifecycle ★ Climb Max ★ Versa Climber ★ Indoor Track Fitness Center ★ Eagle/Cybex Circuit ★ Free Weights Aerobics ★ Certified Instructors ★ Over 100 Classes Weekly ★ Five Studios over 6,000 sq. ft. Courts ★ 3 Racquetball Courts ★ 2 Tennis Courts ★ Basketball/Volleyball Aquatics ★ 8 Lane, 2.5 yd. Indoor Pool ★ Aquatics Exercise Classes ★ Lessons $10 00 ° FF SEMESTER PRICE COUPON EXPIRES SEPT. 15, 1992