Workplace

Strengthen Texas’ Physician Workforce - 12/03/2020

The pandemic will change the physician workforce in Texas. Economic pressures may convince some physicians to take early retirement or to leave patient care; and hospitals may be forced to close residency programs. With three new medical schools, Texas will need MORE residency positions to maintain the target ratio of 1.1 to 1, in hopes of keeping our medical student graduates in state.

New Distribution System Will Ship PPE to Physicians, Clinics in Desperate Need - 11/13/2020

Texas physicians in desperate need of personal protective equipment (PPE) will soon get the supplies they’ve been asking for. The Texas Medical Association (TMA), in collaboration with state agencies, county medical societies, and other statewide health organizations, is establishing an online portal where health professionals can apply for shipments of PPE.

Texas Physicians Getting Millions of Masks to Fight COVID-19 - 11/05/2020

Bottom line: The Texas Medical Association has shipped millions of protective masks acquired from the state to physicians so they can care for patients. Box by box, Texas physicians are getting the protective gear they need to safely care for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to the Texas Medical Association’s (TMA’s) and county medical societies’ distribution of millions of state-acquired masks.

Make Sure Your Referring Colleagues Can Find You - 05/13/2020

Take a few moments to check the data in your online membership profile and make any corrections needed. Be sure to confirm your contact information under the Address tab.

Help Texas Improve Care for People With Disabilities - 11/27/2019

Texas health officials are working to improve services for Texans with physical, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, and they’re looking for your help. To do so, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission is hosting several free listening sessions around the state “to gain insight from client and provider experiences and challenges navigating HHSC, as well as opportunities to improve.”

Dallas Nonprofit, El Paso Clinic Receive TMA Foundation Champion of Health Awards - 01/28/2019

The Texas Medical Association Foundation (TMAF) presented its 2019 John P. McGovern Champion of Health Awards to a Dallas nonprofit organization that promotes gardening, nutrition, and giving, and to an El Paso medical-student-run clinic that provides health care to underserved patients.

Stepping Away From Your Clinical Career? Key Points to Keep In Mind About Re-Entry - 10/17/2018

It is common for physicians to leave clinical practice for some period during their career and then seek to reenter clinical practice. Physicians who are considering a nonclinical career should keep the following key points in mind.

Receive an Economic Census Survey? It’s Due in June - 06/01/2018

If you received the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Census, your practice was one of nearly 4 million businesses of all sizes selected randomly to complete the survey. Your response is due by June 12.

What’s a Good Way to Measure Physician Productivity? - 05/03/2018

An effective way to measure physician productivity is in relative value units (RVUs). Monitoring physician productivity can be one element in tracking a practice’s financial health.

Gone to Texas - 04/24/2018

A decade has passed since the Texas Medical Association won landmark reforms of the state's medical liability system. The result has been more physicians practicing in Texas, thus improving patients' access to care, and dramatically lower liability insurance premiums for physicians.

Is Congress Doing Enough to Protect Physician Practices? - 02/27/2018

The Physicians Advocacy Institute is urging federal lawmakers to re-examine health care policies to ensure they promote competition and put private physicians on a level playing field with hospitals and other corporate entities.

How Happiness Contributes to Your Bottom Line - 01/22/2018

If you own a practice, you have no doubt experienced the pain and hassle of losing an employee. Hiring and training new staff is costly and time-consuming, not to mention difficult on remaining staff. So, how do you keep your staff happy, motivated, and – perhaps most importantly – employed with your practice long-term?

Too Much Trust - 05/13/2016

Many physicians hire an office manager to take over the administrative side of the practice so the physician can do what he or she does best — care for patients. But paying bills, depositing money, handling payroll, and accepting payments from patients are everyday tasks that give office managers a lot of power over a medical practice. It's crucial that physicians keep an eye on financial operations to help keep their employees honest.

The New Company Doctor - 05/13/2016

Health care costs rise every year for employers and employees. Worksite wellness clinics are gaining popularity among many large corporations for their potential to lower health care costs and reduce employee absences. Rather than pay for each employee to visit a separate primary care physician, employers are contracting with medical groups that set up primary care clinics at the workplace.

EpiPens at Schools; Making Your Doctor’s Office a “Medical Home” - 05/06/2016

Doctors want to arm schools with a small device that could save students’ lives, and your doctor’s office might undergo an internal change aimed at giving you even better care. These stories highlight this month’s Texas Medical Association’s (TMA’s) Texas Medicine magazine. Texas Medicine is TMA’s official publication. Here’s a more detailed summary of these articles: