Red tape

Section 10: Lift the Federal Regulatory Burden - 01/16/2019

TMA focuses most of its advocacy activities on the Texas Legislature and state agencies and courts. Because the federal government plays such an outsize role in health care policy and programs, however, TMA also conducts extensive advocacy with the U.S. Congress and federal regulatory agencies. As on the state level, much of TMA’s work in Washington is intended to ensure physicians receive fair payment for the medical services they provide to patients, and to win relief from onerous government regulations.

Guidelines for Medicaid Radiology Prior Authorization - 05/03/2018

Texas Medicaid requires prior authorization for outpatient diagnostic radiology services. Follow these guidelines to help you sail through the process.

New Research Center to Study Physicians’ Burdens - 04/20/2018

Want to improve the future of medicine? Be on the lookout, because a new research center backed by the Physicians Foundation and Weill Cornell Medicine might reach out to you for help.

Dr. Swift Advocates for Red Tape Reduction - 04/17/2018

SB 166 is a win-win for Texas’ patients and the physicians who care for them. If passed, this legislation will reduce red tape, increase efficiency, and improve the accuracy of patient information entered into the patient’s medical record.

Health Care Coverage for Low-Income Texans - 02/03/2017

Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) cover more than 4 million low-income Texans. That includes half of all children in the state and about two-thirds of people in nursing homes. As the Texas Medical Association has long cautioned, however, a Medicaid card does not equal access to health care. Extremely poor payment rates and extraordinarily high bureaucratic burdens lead most Texas physicians either to refuse to accept all new Medicaid patients or to limit the numbers they can see. TMA encourages the Texas Legislature to increase Medicaid and CHIP payments and reduce administrative hassles, and to search for creative new ways to provide more health insurance coverage for low-income Texans.

State Suspends Fluoroscopy Training Requirements - 06/20/2016

The Texas Department of State Health Services announced Jan. 13 that it will indefinitely delay implementing the radiation safety awareness training requirements for fluoroscopy guided interventional procedures, and will also consider modifying the training requirements rule for physicians.

Message Received - 05/25/2016

Thanks to advocacy by TMA's Medicaid Congress and cooperation from new Medicaid leadership, relief from Medicaid's administrative roadblocks may finally be in sight. In October, Texas Medicaid officials asked for input when they met at TMA with physicians from diverse specialties and geographic regions across Texas. They got it in the form of more than a dozen recommendations for reforms researched and developed by the Medicaid Congress. And they are paying attention to them.

Simplify Medicaid HMO Administrative Requirements - 05/20/2016

HB2731 would help standardize and streamline Medicaid HMO administrative requirements. Standardization will make it easier for my practice to participate in Medicaid, while also lowering my practice costs. Medicaid is the lowest payer in most physician practices, so any reduction in administrative costs is essential to enhancing physician Medicaid participation.

HB 395: Dr. Swift Advocates for Red Tape Reduction - 05/20/2016

HB 395 is a win-win for Texas’ patients and the physicians who care for them. If passed, this legislation will reduce red tape, increase efficiency, and improve the accuracy of patient information entered into the patient’s medical record.

Governor's Signature Caps Successful Legislative Session - 05/20/2016

The Texas Medical Association's victories in the 2013 legislative session became official when Gov. Rick Perry signed into law TMA-backed bills to reduce the red tape snarling your practice and to give your patients new protections.

HHSC Transformation Public Hearings Set - 05/13/2016

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) has scheduled public hearings in Austin on Dec. 2 and in Amarillo on Dec. 10, and has created an online survey to take public comment regarding the transformation of the state's health and human services system.