End of Life Care

A Chance to Live Better: Integrating Palliative and Supportive Care - 05/16/2023

Commentary — December 2017 Tex Med. 2017 113(12) 13–14. By Gerard J. Voorhees, MD Let's face it When our patients are not responding to curative treatment or are nearing the end

OIG: Physicians Incorrectly Billing for End-of-Life Care Planning - 01/05/2023

Advance care planning (ACP) services were meant to give patients the opportunity to choose the care that is right for them at the end of their lives or during medical crises that could render them unable to make personal health decisions.

Voice of Reason: TMA’s Board of Councilors Tackles Ethical Policymaking - 06/08/2022

Established in 1903, the Board of Councilors renders and updates opinions on matters of medical ethics, from abortion and medical use of cannabis to physician-assisted suicide and restrictive covenants, among other responsibilities.

Hospital Asks for Expedited Trial in Fort Worth Life-Sustaining Treatment Case - 04/30/2021

Believing that court-mandated, life-sustaining treatment is causing harm to a child in its care, Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth is attempting to resolve a highly publicized court case as quickly as possible.

House Passes Measure to Prevent Medical Billing Tax - 04/07/2021

Thanks to tireless work from a physician-legislator, the house of medicine took a huge step Tuesday toward preventing a planned tax on medical billing services that would take money out of patients’ and physicians’ pockets.

Legislative Hotline March 4, 2021: TMA Opposes End-of-Life Care Bill That Poses Threat to “Do No Harm” - 03/05/2021

The Texas Medical Association is once again working to stop legislative attacks on a physician’s sacred creed to “do no harm,” which includes taking care of patients in their last days.

Wrong Directive: Legal Shifts on End-of-Life Care Concern Physicians - 02/27/2021

Challenges to Texas laws governing end-of-life care, whether through legislative rewrites or judicial override, are nothing new. The recent success of those challenges is. In particular, two recent erosions have physicians like Houston palliative care specialist Mark Casanova, MD, chagrined and concerned about the future of doctors’ role in end-of-life treatment.

Defend Patient Decisions at the End of Life - 02/11/2021

Perhaps no decision we make is more personal, difficult, or profound as choosing how we wish to spend our final days, and it’s one physicians encourage patients to make long before the need arises.

Texas Physicians Fight End-of-Life Bill With Passion - 05/10/2019

When the Texas Medical Association urged members to ask their state senators to vote “no” on a key bill regarding treatment disputes at the end of life, they didn’t hold back. Hundreds of Texas physicians took up the call, using TMA’s Grassroots Action enter to share very personal and passionate messages with their senators.

Death Certificate Problems Being Addressed, State Says - 03/06/2019

State health officials say they are continuing to address problems and long wait times associated with the rollout of the new TxEVER system for registering death and birth certificates. On Monday, DSHS officials told the Texas Medical Association that they significantly reduced wait times by shifting staff from other departments to handle customer service phone lines.

Dawn Duster Examines “Rubik’s Cube” of New DNR Law - 02/05/2019

The in-hospital DNR law, codified as Senate Bill 11 in the 2017 Texas Legislature, went into effect on April 1, 2018. Ms. Atwood and Jason Morrow, MD, medical director of inpatient palliative medicine at University Health System in San Antonio, examined the legal requirements of the complicated law and associated ethical considerations.

TMB Won’t Penalize Physicians For Technical Problems With Vital Registry - 01/28/2019

The Texas Medical Board confirmed Saturday that it will not take action against physicians who experience technical issues with Texas’ new vital statistics registry, TxEVER.

For End-of-Life Care, Fresh Challenges Begin - 04/02/2018

The logistics of entering a valid in-hospital DNR order are about to become considerably more complex. A law taking effect in April lays out new requirements affecting physicians in hospitals or health care facilities.

Medicare Pays for End-of-Life Consults - 11/21/2016

As of January, Medicare pays physicians for advance care planning as a separate service, a long-sought victory that promotes educating patients and physicians on the issue. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services created two new payment codes that cover it as a separate service in physician practices and facilities, including hospitals.

Walking the Walk - 11/01/2016

A Houston palliative care and hospice physician shares her family's experience caring for her father, who had a terminal illness, in this special four-part series originally published on the Texas Medical Association's MeAndMyDoctor blog.