Summer 2015
Big Wins for Medicine Mark 2015 Legislative Session
The 2015 Texas Legislature adjourned for good June 1. TMA's latest Legislative News Hotline video features TMA chief lobbyist Darren Whitehurst summarizing the session’s outcome for organized medicine and patient care.
Important milestones for Texas physicians include:
- Another significant expansion of graduate medical education funding and resident training positions, and more money for women's health and mental health services;
- Fairer rules governing Medicaid fraud investigations;
- Red-tape reductions, including the elimination of the Department of Public Safety Controlled Substances Registration permit;
- Greater transparency in health plans sold on the federal exchange;
- First-ever regulation of e-cigarettes; and
- A tax break for all licensed physicians.
Key to medicine's success, TMA leaders say, were the relationships physicians built in their hometowns with new and familiar faces in the legislature, bolstered by hundreds of doctors, medical students, and TMA Alliance members who lobbied and testified at the Capitol throughout the session.
For more on how medicine's bills fared this session, read Political Prognosis.
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AMA Meeting Recap
Eight Texas young physicians representing TMA and their specialty societies attended the American Medical Association Annual Meeting in Chicago.
The TMA Young Physician Section (YPS) submitted two resolutions on maintenance of certification (MOC): one that would require alerting physicians to MOC deadlines and the other calling for reevaluating the cognitive expertise component of MOC. Both were positively received. A third TMA YPS resolution called for autonomy in utilization of continuing medical education (CME) funds by employed physicians.
The YPS actively supported resolutions relating to gun safety, e-cigarette regulation, increasing the age for tobacco sales, and the appropriate use of hormone therapy.
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Become a Walk Leader; Get Your Patients Moving
It's summertime! Get involved in Walk With a Doc Texas, part of a national grassroots movement devoted to encouraging healthy physical activity. The program aims to reverse the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle and improve the health and well-being of our country. Walk With a Doc Texas is funded by a grant from the TMA Foundation, with generous support from the TMA Insurance Trust.
Contact Debra Heater at TMA for more information.
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TMA White Paper Explains Inadequate Physician Networks
Inadequate and limited physician networks that insurers sell today are leaving patients with unpaid bills and making the news. Unfortunately, when Texas consumers most need coverage, especially in emergencies, they are discovering the limitations of the coverage they purchased.
TMA's white paper, "Putting the Pieces Together: Network Inadequacy and Unfair Discrimination in Insurance," explains how insurers limit their losses at the expense of the consumer. It also offers health policy solutions that will provide insurance consumers with the opportunity to buy the coverage they expect and demand.
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Employed? TMA Has Resources for You
With more physicians becoming employed in a large group or hospital arrangement, it is important to understand the various compensation methods you might be offered in an employment contract.
TMA provides education and services to help employed physicians, including the publication, Employment Contracts for Physicians: The Comprehensive Guide, Second Edition. For additional resources, visit the TMA Employed Physicians Resource Center.
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Save the Date: TMA Fall Conference Sept. 25-26
Mark your calendar for TMA Fall Conference, Sept. 25-26 at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa in Bastrop. The conference provides an opportunity for physicians and medical students to conduct TMA business, earn CME, and network with peers.
The YPS Business Meeting will take place Friday, Sept. 25, from 9 to 10 pm and will be preceded by a mixer. Check the YPS webpage for meeting location and mixer details.
TMA’s special room rate is $199 for single or double occupancy. Reserve a room by calling (888) 421-1442, and ask for the TMA Fall Conference discount rate. The deadline to book your hotel reservation at the TMA rate is Aug. 28.
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Are You Getting the Most From Your TMA Membership?
Check TMA's return on investment calculator to see what other benefits and services you can tap into.
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Stay Connected
Keep up with important news and connect with colleagues across the state through the TMA’s Facebook page.
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