Liver Specialists of Texas

Our Location

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:55:21 GMT

6624 Fannin, Suite 1990
Houston, Texas 77030
Tel: 713-794-0700

For a map to our office, please click here. (Opens Mapquest map in new window)

Directions to the O'Quinn Medical Tower at St. Luke's:

Address:
6624 Fannin Street
Suite 1990
Houston, Tx 77030
713-794-0700
Fax: 713-794-0610

From The North:
I-45 South To Highway 59 South. On Highway 59 South, Exit Fannin Street. Take Fannin Street South To The St. Luke's Medical Tower Facility (Mirrored Twin Tower Facility). Park In Tower Parking Lot (Entry From Fannin).

From The East Or West:
I-10 To Studewood/Studemont. Studemonte (Turns Into Montrose) South To Main Street.Main Street South To The St. Luke's Medical Tower Facility. The St. Luke's Medical Tower Sits Between Main And Fannin Streets. Park In Tower Parking Lot (Entry From Fannin).

From The South
I-45 North To Loop 610 West. Loop 610 West To Fannin Street. Fannin Street North To The St. Luke's Medical Tower Facility. Park In Tower Parking Lot (Entry From Fannin).

We are located on the 19th floor.

For your convenience, St. Luke's Medical Tower offers both valet and self-parking.

Our Staff

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:40:27 GMT

Staff Members

Jeff Toal: Practice Administrator
Erin Yates, PA-C
Herman Ortiz: Research
Kim Walker-Research Coordinator
Araceli: Medical Assistant
Gil : Billing Supervisor
TIEC Open House Photo Album

Hepatitis C Studies

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:36:45 GMT

Hepatitis C Research: New Therapies for Patients Previously Treated with Interferon and Ribavirin About half of all people with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection achieve a sustained virological response (SVR) or undetected HCV, with the standard treatment of pegylated interferon plus ribavirin; rates are even lower for patients with difficult-to-treat HCV genotype 1. Researchers have studied various antiviral agents that directly target various stages of the HCV lifecycle. Namely protease inhibitors have shown promising results. For patients who have been previously treated with Pegylated Interferon and Ribavirin and have not responded to treatment or have relapsed while on this treatment you may be eligible for some upcoming studies here at the Research Specialists of Texas. These studies will be looking at a new line of treatment in combination with standard therapy called protease inhibitors for patients with Hepatitis C genotype 1. Protease inhibitors prevent the...

Eating Healthy Near the Texas Medical Center

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:46:41 GMT

Below are some of Dr. Galati's favorite healthy places to eat.

This page is under construction.

Come back soon.

Information for Friends and Family

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:44:00 GMT

Note This page is designed for individuals who may have a relative or friend with some for of liver or digestive disease. Additional information on specific diseases and disease management can be located on the page For Patients. In most situations, I have noticed over the years that friends and family members are not so much interested on the disease, but what they can do to assist this individual in need. Below I have listed general guidelines how you can be of assistance. Support Simple, unbiased support is many times greatest gift you can provide someone with. Listen to their complaints, and act as a sounding board. Don’t be judgmental. Provide them with honest advice when they ask for it. If appropriate, make yourself available to drive them to the doctor’s office or hospital, shopping, or a run to the pharmacy. Be Part of Their 24-Hours Care Plan Patients that are being evaluated for liver transplantation are required to have a 24-hour care plan. Our liver transplant...

Jeff Toal: Practice Administrator

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 22:02:44 GMT

Jeff Toal, who joined Liver Specialists of Texas team in 2007, has over 15 years of experience in all aspects of practice management and operations. Jeff recently completed his Master's in Business Administration from Texas Woman's University.

Erin Yates, P.A.-C

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:50:59 GMT

Erin Yates is a native of Shreveport, LA. She attended the University of Louisiana at Monroe earning her undergraduate degree in Toxicology. Mrs. Yates received her Master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. She is also a recipient of the 2006 American Association for the Study of Liver Disease NP/PA Fellowship and joined Liver Specialist of Texas at the completion of this specialized training.

Erin has been with Liver Specialists of Texas since July 2007. She is responsible for coordinating the care of patients receiving antiviral therapy (example interferon and ribavirin) for chronic hepatitis C. After the initial consultation with Dr. Galati, she will become involved in subsequent care, coordinating this care under the direction of Dr. Galati and the other physicians in the practice.

Mrs. Yates has a special interest in patient education and believes understanding the disease process is an important step for patients to become active participants in their healthcare choices. In her free time she enjoys travel, LSU football, and spending time with friends and family.

You can listed to one of Erin's podcasts here, where she discusses the side effect management of interferon and ribavirin, used to treat hepatitis C.

Gil: Billing Supervisor

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 23:23:25 GMT

Billing, collection, and insurance issues are the responsibility of Gil, who has been with Liver Specialists of Texas since the practice began in 2001.

Gil is responsible for seeing that all of the claims are filed appropriately with the patient's insurance company, including charges for office visits and outpatient consultations, inpatient hospital charges, and charges that are related to procedures that have been performed.

Depending on the specific insurance company and policy, even after co-payments are paid by patients, there may still be additional charges that would come under "patient's responsibility" . Working with other staff members in the practice, Gil will review individual cases to see that insurance company required referrals are on file with us. These are referrals that need to come from your primary care physician.

Veronica: Scheduling

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 23:14:45 GMT

Veronica, who joined Liver Specialists of Texas in 2007, is responsible for all patient clinic appointment and the scheduling of procedures, including liver biopsy, colonoscopy, and upper endoscopy. In most situations, procedures that need to be scheduled following a clinic visit with Dr. Galati or Erin Yates, PA-C will be scheduled the day of the clinic visit. This will allow greater flexibility is making arrangements for a prcedure on a day that is best suited to your schedule.

For new patients that are requesting an appointment with Dr. Galati, Veronica will attempt to schedule appointments that work best for the patient and their family members. In cases where appointment dates are several week out, we can contact you for an appointment sooner than scheduled if cancellations occur. Keep in mind that you may only have a days notice to come to the alternate appointment.

It is important to provide Veronica with as much information as possible so we can communicate with you. E-mail communication is becoming more popular with patients, and we will ask for both a work or home e-mail. In addition to your home phone number, kindly provide us with your cell, work, and next of kin numbers. All of these measures help in communicating with our patients.

View Video Procedures

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 01:20:36 GMT

Colonoscopy Snare Polyp Removal

Banding of Esophageal Varicies

Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia

Diverticulosis

Podcasts and iTunes Instructions

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 04:58:21 GMT

Our website, texasliver.com, will continue to add numerous podcasts every week, covering a wide range of topics related to liver and digestive health. The best way to listed to the audio files and podcasts is through iTunes, a free program dictributed through Apple. Below, we will list direction to allow iTunes to be loaded and configured, allowing you to listed to all of the podcasts we produce.

Download the latest version of iTunes. Click here to download iTunes.
Once iTunes is downloaded on your computer, under the "advanced" tool bar, select "subscribe to podcast".
In the open URL box, copy and past this URL into the blank box: http://www.texasliver.com/en/rss/
Once you place this URL into iTunes, all of the currently available podcasts, and all future podcasts will automatically be loaded into iTunes.

Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 04:34:17 GMT

This is a very difficult to treat disorder of the stomach.

Introduction To Podcasting at texasliver.com

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 20:36:34 GMT

Podcasting is an important part of this web site. Here are introductory remarks by Dr. Galati

Patient Interviews

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 21:47:03 GMT

Great Hands of Texas

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 21:33:40 GMT

Check back for more information about Great Hands of Texas.

Practice Administrators Blog

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 21:19:20 GMT

Soon you will be able to keep up to date with the latest information for Practice Administrators. We love to hear your ideas so feel free to leave comments.

Medical Professionals

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 21:16:55 GMT

Information available to those that are in the medical field:

Practice Guidelines

Key practice guidelines related to the management of patients with acute and chronic liver disease. Please feel free to use these to help promote quality medical care.

Patient Referrals

This section will give physicians the resources that they will need to refer new patients to help streamline the process.

What is Clinical Research

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 21:10:41 GMT

Clinical trials are research studies that test how well new medicines work in people. Each study answers scientific questions and tries to find better ways to prevent, screen for, diagnose, or treat a disease. People who take part in liver clinical trials have an opportunity to contribute to knowledge of, and progress against, all facets of liver disease. Participants also receive up-to-date care from experts. Every clinical trial has a protocol, or action plan, for conducting the trial. The plan describes what will be done in the study, how it will be conducted, and why each part of the study is necessary. Each study has its own rules about who can participate. Studies need volunteers with a certain type of liver disease, including hepatitis C, hepatitis B, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, or liver cancer. Some studies need healthy people. Others want just men or just women. People who volunteer for a clinical trial will have the opportunity to have the potential risks, benefits,...

Where do I start?

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 21:09:36 GMT

Thank you for your interest in our practice. Patients new to our practice requesting an appointment for a consultation can call our office at 713-794-0700. Alternatively, you can e-mail us supplying the required information and we will call you to arrange an appointment.

Kindly remember that in certain circumstances, you will need to get prior approval from your insurance company before an appointment can be made. If not, there is the possibility that the cost of the consultation would be based on “out of network” benefits. Many patients are aware of this and are willing to pay the increased charges.

News and Media

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 21:08:58 GMT

Latest articles and podcasts

Read The Liver Blog to get the latest info on general health, Dr Galati's radio show and the Great Hands of Texas project.

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