Womens Health

Support Maternal Health Coverage for Texas Women - 01/30/2021

Becoming a new mother is a time of celebration and joy. Yet for many Texas women the journey to motherhood can be perilous and potentially deadly. According to new data from the state’s panel of maternal health experts, too many women die during pregnancy or in the year following, though 9 in 10 of these deaths were potentially preventable.

Federal Funding for Women’s Health Services in Texas Restored - 01/24/2020

Texas will again receive matching federal funds for women’s health services through a Medicaid 1115 waiver Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday. Under the agreement, Texas will receive about $350 million from Washington over the next five years to cover the vast majority of costs for its Healthy Texas Women program.

More Funds for Medicaid, Women’s Health Needed, TMA Tells HHSC - 12/02/2019

Bolstering Medicaid and enhancing women’s health services are once again on the Texas Medical Association’s agenda as it makes recommendations to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) for the agency’s 2022-23 budget requests.

Prevention of Opioid Abuse Through Education - 10/15/2019

HB 405 was written to require collaborative efforts and involve many stakeholders who are involved in the health and well-being of mothers and infants across our state. This is the best way to ensure that as many women as possible hear about NAS and its harmful outcomes. Creating more awareness of what causes NAS and potential impacts of the condition will only help our state become a better place for all mothers and babies. HB 405 would help bring needed attention and resources to help educate our state on NAS.

Improving Birth Outcomes by Designating Facility Levels of Care - 05/07/2019

The neonatal and maternal designation standards are new. It takes time – and patience — to find the right balance. As the state and stakeholders navigate the process, we urge lawmakers to stay focused on the original purpose of establishing neonatal and maternal levels of care in the first place – to provide a statewide system that promotes safe, high-quality, medically appropriate care to improve birth outcomes for mothers and babies.

Allow Pregnant Moms to Take Their Kids to Medical Appointments - 04/30/2019

Prenatal and postpartum care are vital to the health and well-being of mothers and babies, yet transportation is a barrier for many of our most “at-risk” patients and their babies. This barrier leads to missed appointments, which is associated with increased medical costs for patients, disruption of patient care and patient-physician relationships, delayed care, and increased emergency room visits. HB 25 is an attempt to address this problem by creating a pilot program that would streamline nonemergent medical transportation services in Medicaid.

Physicians to Return to Pack Capitol for “First Tuesdays” - 03/28/2019

Hundreds of Texas Medical Association (TMA) lab coat-clad Texas physicians and medical students, and TMA Alliance members will fill the Capitol for First Tuesdays at the Capitol advocacy day on April 2.

More Physicians to Flood Capitol on March “First Tuesdays” Advocacy Day - 03/09/2019

Building on the great turnout and success of the Texas Medical Association’s (TMA’s) initial First Tuesdays at the Capitol advocacy day in February, TMA expects about twice the attendance for the March “white-coat invasion.” As many as 400 lab coat-clad Texas physicians and medical students, and TMA Alliance members will fill the Capitol to urge legislators to support good patient care on March 5. They will dedicate the TMA building to TMA Executive Vice President and CEO Louis J. Goodman, PhD, who is retiring, and some will attend a Tobacco-21 news conference.

Maintain Level of Care Standards for Neonatal and Maternal Hospitals - 03/08/2019

The neonatal and maternal designation standards are new. It takes time – and patience – to find the right balance. As the state and stakeholders navigate the process, we urge lawmakers to stay focused on the original purpose of establishing neonatal and maternal levels of care in the first place – to provide a statewide system that promotes safe, high-quality, medically appropriate care to improve birth outcomes for mothers and babies.

Protect the Reproductive Health of Texas’ Young Women - 03/06/2019

We know a variety of socioeconomic and health risks are associated with unplanned pregnancies of our young patients. With parental consent, reducing barriers to contraception – including long-acting reversible contraceptives – helps guarantee fewer unplanned pregnancies and associated health risks and fewer abortions, and more education and greater economic opportunities for our patients.

Maternal Illness and Deaths, Coverage Expansion Top Saturday’s TMA Conference - 02/07/2019

How to protect women from severe illness and death surrounding childbirth; ensuring Texans are vaccinated against diseases; covering low-income Texans with insurance so they can access care; top medical issues in the legislature; ethical considerations of “do not resuscitate” (DNR) law; and the state’s changing demographics and how to care for Texas of the future. Doctors will address these pressing issues and more during the 2019 Texas Medical Association (TMA) Winter Conference, in Austin.

Improve Maternal Health by Expanding Access to Care - 02/07/2019

Maternal deaths are only one part of the story. For every one maternal death, 50 to 100 women suffer a severe illness or complication.

Physicians to Fill Capitol on Feb. 5’s “First Tuesdays” - 02/01/2019

Continuing a 16-year tradition, hundreds of lab coat-clad Texas physicians and medical students, and TMA Alliance members will fill the Capitol to urge legislators to support good patient care during the Texas Medical Association’s (TMA’s) initial First Tuesdays at the Capitol advocacy day of the 86th Texas Legislature.

Section 5: Make Motherhood Safe - 01/30/2019

It Didn’t Have to Be Eugene Hunt, MD, estimates he’s attended the delivery of thousands  ¾ “three, four, five thousand?”  ¾ of infants in his 35 years of practice as a Dallas obstetrician. Two “sad, sad, sad” cases stick in his mind.

Health Care Leaders Host First-Ever Joint Summit on Texas Medicaid - 01/09/2019

As the future of Texas Medicaid promises to be a central topic of discussion in the 86th Texas Legislature, leaders from three pillars of the Texas health care system gathered in Austin on Oct. 12 for a first-ever summit to identify and commit to working on shared priorities for strengthening the program.

Doctors, Insurers, Hospitals Meet to Set Priorities for Strengthening Medicaid Managed Care - 10/24/2018

As the future of Texas Medicaid promises to be a central topic of discussion in the 86th Texas Legislature, leaders from three pillars of the Texas health care system gathered in Austin on Oct. 12 for a first-ever summit to identify and commit to working on shared priorities for strengthening the program.

TMA Legislative News Hotline: Week Ending July 28, 2017 - 07/10/2018

As Governor Abbott promised, he opened the agenda for the special session to 20 additional items after the Senate passed the sunset bills late last week. Read the items of interest to medicine right here.

TMA Legislative News Hotline: Monday, July 31, 2017 - 07/10/2018

Week three of the Texas Legislature’s first called special session has started, and while separate Texas Medical Board (TMB) sunset bills have passed their respective House and Senate chambers, neither has taken any action on the others’ bills. Either House Bill 1 or Senate Bill 20 must pass the other chamber. Without legislative action, the TMB and the Medical Practice Act both will expire Sept. 1. The primary focus of state lawmakers has now shifted to the 20 additional items Gov. Greg Abbott added to the special session agenda.

TMA Maternal Health Congress 2018 - 05/23/2018

The congress will build upon much of the information and discussion at the Maternal Health Forum that TMA hosted Sept. 30, 2017, in collaboration with the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Kyle Janek: The Texas Medicine Interview - 04/24/2018

New Texas Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Kyle Janek, MD, has concerns about Medicaid - about having enough physicians to care for patients, about how to improve the health insurer, and other thoughts he shares with Texas Medicine magazine. In this interview he covers that, fraud investigations, women's health and other key issues he and the state face.

TMA Physician Leader to Senators: Protect Safety Net, Women’s Health Programs - 04/20/2018

Dr. Van Ramshorst urged the committee to “protect vital Health and Human Services safety net programs, including Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program [CHIP], and women’s health programs.” He stresses that ensuring 4 million Texans have access to affordable preventive, primary, and specialty care is an investment in their health and in the state’s fiscal health. He lists adequately funding prenatal care to protect the health of pregnant mothers and their newborns, reversing the trend of increasing maternal mortality, and ensuring adequate pay for physicians who care for Medicaid patients among the benefits of sufficient funding, ultimately preserving access to care.

Does Texas Still Have a Maternal Health Crisis? You Bet It Does - 04/13/2018

According to a new Texas Department of State Health Services report released this week, some people might think Texas' maternal health crisis isn't really a crisis at all. But physicians know better, saying maternal death and illness remain serious problems that need a lot of attention. "We're not excelling even with the new numbers."

Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Forum - 03/15/2018

The Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Forum provided opportunities for invited participants to receive updates on the maternal mortality and morbidity challenges specific to Texas, understand current state efforts to improve maternal health, and develop plans to address known barriers through collaboration of experts in medicine and public health.

A Moment to Remember - 03/15/2018

In late 2017, Dallas obstetrician-gynecologist Robert Gundy, MD, delivered the first baby in the United States born from a transplanted uterus.

TMA Forum Seeks Solutions to Texas’ Maternal Mortality Crisis - 09/27/2017

The Texas Medical Association and its Council on Science and Public Health will hold an invitation-only Maternal Safety Forum at the end of this month.