Shortly after opening his practice in 2022, Dallas pediatrician Marcial Andres Oquendo Rincon, MD, found himself buried in contracts, payment issues, and compliance questions medical school never prepared him for.
Unsure where to turn, he contacted the Texas Medical Association in search of relevant resources – and connected with what he described as “fantastic” member benefits that helped him navigate the business side of medicine while keeping his focus on patient care.
For many Texas physicians, the business of medicine has become nearly as demanding as practicing it. Insurance payment disputes, technology management, staffing concerns, compliance requirements, and vendor negotiations now consume a growing share of physicians’ time.
To help clinicians navigate those challenges, TMA offers a suite of benefits designed to help physicians keep their practices stable and sustainable.
For example, TMA helped Dr. Oquendo by providing general resources related to contracting and checklists tied to different stages of practice development, including information helpful in negotiations related to payroll and office equipment. The association offers physician members access to free resources such as technology contract reviews and, if needed, can provide a list of attorneys in private practice who might be able to help. (TMA does not provide legal advice or recommend or endorse any attorneys.)
Dr. Oquendo also connected with TMA’s Physician Payment Resource Center (PPRC) staff, who helped him resolve insurance payment challenges. PPRC services, free to TMA members, assist member physicians with insurance-related problems such as billing, coding, prompt pay, appeals, credentialing, and more.
“As an independent practice owner, that benefit alone was worth the price of my membership,” said Dr. Oquendo, the chair of TMA’s Council on Socioeconomics.
In 2025, the PPRC helped Texas physician practices recover more than $3.3 million. TMA also provides members with educational resources and information on billing changes, payer trends, and regulations affecting physician practices across Texas.
“When payments are delayed, it impacts everything,” Dr. Oquendo said. “Payroll, supplies, staffing – all of it depends on the practice getting paid correctly and on time. That’s why TMA’s help is so important.”
Beyond insurance issues, the association supports physicians’ daily operations through resource centers and toolkits covering key practice and administrative needs. Each resource center features CME, articles, checklists, white papers, and other assets to keep physicians informed.
For instance, TMA’s health information technology webpage offers physicians tools to help evaluate electronic health record systems, artificial intelligence tools, telemedicine platforms, cybersecurity considerations, and more.
For physicians trying to balance patient care with mounting administrative demands, Dr. Oquendo said those resources have become “essential.”
“Physicians want to spend their time caring for patients,” he said. “Having support for everything happening behind the scenes makes that possible.”
Alisa Pierce
Reporter, Division of Communications and Marketing
(512) 370-1469