Search Keywords

Free HHS Cybersecurity Training Helps Physicians Guard Against Top Threats - 05/14/2023

A free cybersecurity education platform offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services helps train physicians, health care professionals, and staff to defend against the electronic attacks they are most likely to face on the job.

How to Renew Your Electronic Prescribing Hardship Waiver - 03/24/2023

Physicians and other prescribers in Texas must now electronically prescribe controlled substances (EPCS). However, prescribers who demonstrate financial or technical hardships, or other exceptional circumstances, are eligible for a waiver from the Texas Medical Board (TMB) that, if approved, grants a one-year delay. If the hardship persists, prescribers must renew that waiver annually.

QHINs Mark a Step Toward Interoperability - 03/07/2023

Physicians likely don’t need another acronym in their vocabulary, but “QHINs” bring some good news that translates to greater access to patient information.

How Is Technology Impacting Your Practice? TMA Wants to Know - 02/22/2023

The Texas Medical Association has conducted numerous health information technology surveys over the years to help guide TMA advocacy and develop physician resources. Here’s your chance again to tell TMA how technology is impacting your practice.

Making a SAFER EHR: This MIPS measure can help - 10/21/2022

Physicians have not always been big fans of the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), but one aspect of MIPS can help physicians protect electronic health records (EHRs) from errors, hacking, and similar problems.

Commentary: Physicians Need High-Value Health Information Exchange to Spur Adoption - 10/12/2022

Although health IT has progressed exponentially in the decade since the Health Information Technology and Economic Clinical Health (HITECH) Act was implemented, physicians are still challenged when it comes to interoperability.

UPDATE: New Information-Blocking Requirements Take Effect Despite Medicine's Call for Delay - 10/12/2022

Since April 2021, federal rules requiring physicians to give patients prompt access to their electronic health information have been focused on a narrow subset of those data. Starting Oct. 6, the so-called information-blocking requirements are set to broaden that scope significantly.

12 Ways an EMR Can Increase Productivity - 10/10/2022

How does adopting an electronic medical record (EMR) in your practice affect productivity?

Get Ready for an EHR Upgrade by Dec. 31 to Comply With 21st Century Cures Act - 08/30/2022

Electronic health record vendors must conduct a major software upgrade by Dec. 31, and physician offices should be prepared.

Information Unblocked: Rules Requiring Docs to Give Patients Prompt Access to EHRs Prove Mostly Useful - 08/24/2022

The information blocking regulations stemming from the 21st Century Cures Act, which Congress passed in 2016, broaden patients' access to their electronic medical records and have proven mostly useful since taking effect in April 2021.

Are Your Practice’s Computers Safe From Cyberattacks? - 07/06/2022

Cybercriminals are working harder than ever – so stay prepared to keep your practice’s computer systems protected. Here are some tips to help you do so.

Biden Order Carries Implications for Telehealth, Maternal Health, and Drug Costs - 04/05/2022

President Joe Biden recently signed an executive order that directs 17 federal agencies to commit to 36 customer service improvements, including making it easier for people to apply for the services and benefits to which they are entitled. It has far-reaching implications for health care.

Reactivate Your EHR’s Access to the PMP - 03/10/2022

With the state of Texas no longer covering the fees that allow physicians’ electronic health record (EHR) systems to integrate with the state’s prescription monitoring program (PMP), physicians are now responsible for paying those fees. If you want your system integrated with the PMP, know your options and make sure you stay connected.

TMA Survey Finds Most Physicians Use Electronic Records - 02/22/2022

A newly released Texas Medical Association (TMA) survey of the state’s physicians shows nearly three-quarters of them are using an electronic health record (EHR) to capture your health information.

Find the Right EHR With TMA’s Updated Comparison Tool - 12/15/2021

If you’re shopping for an electronic health record (EHR), the Texas Medical Association’s updated EHR Comparison Tool is the place to start investigating options.

Use Direct Messaging to Share Patient Information Electronically - 12/08/2021

Under regulations that went into effect in April 2021, physicians must share patient information with each other electronically upon request. Texas Medical Association health information technology experts caution that tackling these requirements means physicians must use a standardized way to exchange information that’s HIPAA-compliant.

20 Everyday HIPAA Tips - 10/13/2021

The goal of HIPAA is to make sure the protected health information you are responsible for or come into contact with remains confidential, secure, and available when you need it. Here are basic steps every practice can take to help make this happen.

20 Everyday HIPAA Tips to Help You Stay Compliant - 10/13/2021

Medicare’s Quality Payment Program Won’t Support Internet Explorer 11 - 09/29/2021

Due to security concerns, Medicare’s Quality Payment Program (QPP) will no longer support the Internet Explorer (IE) 11 browser beginning on Oct. 13, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced.

New Data Classes Released for Exchanging Electronic Health Information - 07/21/2021

Physicians will be able to electronically share patient information more broadly now that the U.S. Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has released version 2 of the United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI).

More Intelligent Care? Physicians Have a Stake in Augmented Intelligence - 07/03/2021

Physicians have a stake in learning how augmented intelligence can enhance care – and making sure their input isn’t excluded.

Six Simple Ways to Go Paperless - 06/14/2021

Going paperless will not happen overnight; however, creating new habits will help make it second nature for you, your staff, and your patients. And you can maximize the benefits that electronic health records (EHRs) and other automated services have to offer. Here are six ways to get started on going paperless.

Hospitals Required to Send Admit, Discharge, Transfer Notices to Physicians - 06/02/2021

As of May 1, hospitals must electronically share their admit, discharge, and/or transfer (ADT) notices with the patient’s established primary care physician, group, or other practitioner identified by the patient. The requirement, a condition of participation under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Interoperability and Patient Access final rule, applies to all patients who receive emergency department (ED) or inpatient services, including at psychiatric hospitals.

Hassles With the New Information-Blocking Rules? Send TMA Your Stories - 04/28/2021

To comply with the information-blocking regulations required by the 21st Century Cures Act as of April 5, physicians now must be able to share information promptly with patients, physicians, and other entities upon request, with certain exceptions.

Threat Level High: Ransomware a Bigger Threat - 04/01/2021

COVID-19 has made a booming illicit business – ransomware – boom even louder. And the more medical practices and organizations fall victim to ransomware cyberattacks, the more illustrative it becomes how important it is to prevent such an attack.