Health Information Technology

Texas telemedicine laws and regulations have changed considerably over the past several years, and access has been greatly expanded because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For example the Texas Medical Board has declared that telemedicine – including the use of telephone only – may be used to establish a physician-patient relationship, under a statewide disaster declaration issued last week.

Internet scammers are trying to cash in on the widespread anxiety over COVID-19, and awareness is the best defense, according to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). 

Likewise, the Texas Attorney General's Office has issued a warning about outbreak-related scams. 

As COVID-19 cases rise across the state, physicians have been asking the Texas Medical Association about getting started with telemedicine. 

That’s why TMA staff has added new tools and information to the TMA telemedicine resource center.

With a key deadline for clinicians in the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) approaching fast amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is giving those clinicians a month of extra time to submit their data.

CMS announced Sunday it is moving the deadline for MIPS-eligible clinicians to submit their 2019 MIPS data to April 30, instead of March 31.

The recently updated TMA EHR Vendor Comparison Tool provides TMA member physicians access to an assessment of EHR products that have a solid Texas market base. It gives physicians a view of company information, product functionality, pricing, and interoperability capabilities when comparing EHR systems.

Telemedicine is rapidly evolving, and the number of physicians who use it continues to grow.

Whether you use telemedicine every day in your practice or you’re just starting to consider how it might benefit your patients, you probably have plenty of questions and concerns about using it effectively and within compliance.

That’s why the Texas Medical Association formed a task force that will help TMA serve physicians who want to integrate telemedicine into their practice.

The federal requirements have not changed, but starting Jan. 1, breach notification requirements became even more stringent for Texas physicians or medical entities. The Texas Legislature dropped the threshold for breach reporting from 500 patients to 250. House Bill 4390 also requires medical entities to report breaches to the Texas attorney general’s office within 60 days of the breach.

Ideally, all members of a health care team –physicians, hospitals, labs – should be able to use HIT and EHRs to share patient information through a secure network, a process called interoperability.

Health Information Exchange (HIE) can be accomplished in different ways, and the needs and requirements vary by practice.

the Texas Medical Association pushed state lawmakers this year for a special appropriation to the Texas Board of Pharmacy for funds to allow Appriss Health, the state’s PMP vendor, to integrate with electronic health record (EHR) systems and health information exchanges (HIEs). This integration allows physicians to access PMP data within their EHR when creating a prescription – at no cost to the physician. 

Because EHR systems are not standardized, moving data from one EHR to another is not precise and usually is difficult. Be sure to consult the contract with your existing vendor to understand how it must provide your data. Also, as a TMA member, you have access to no-cost technology contract reviews from TMA-approved vendor Coker Group.

With the DocbookMD mobile app, a regional network of physician colleagues is at your fingertips for consultation, referrals, and HIPAA-compliant information exchange - all in the blink of an eye. Download for iPhone, iPad, or Android now.

It probably goes without saying that technology is an integral part of modern health care.

But how can you be sure you’re getting the best deal from your technology vendor?

You can’t be absolutely sure of course, but a few modifications to your vendor contract can help you avoid much of the risk associated with buying technology.

TMA works diligently to give you the tools you need to tackle the challenges of technology. Whether you need help selecting an electronic health record (EHR) or understanding MACRA or the EHR incentive program, TMA has the resources.