Stories with related Professional Interests

Federal Telehealth Extension Bill Advances to Senate - 08/31/2022

Signaling strong support to build on the COVID-19-era gains in telemedicine, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill that would extend Medicare’s telehealth payment and regulatory flexibilities through the end of 2024, should the public health emergency end before then.

CMS Continues Webinar Series on No Surprises Act - 07/07/2022

Two upcoming webinars from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) – including one scheduled for next week – will educate physicians on the federal No Surprises Act (NSA) as part of a collaboration between CMS and the American Medical Association.

Feds Scrap TMA-Opposed SUNSET Regulation-Review Rule - 06/03/2022

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has turned out the lights on a “sunset” rule requiring extensive federal review of thousands of regulations, which the Texas Medical Association and others in organized medicine believed would needlessly divert HHS’ attention from the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19: Compliance - 04/09/2021

Get COVID-19 resources related to compliance.

New CMS Rule Allows More Physician Self-Referrals Under “Stark Law” - 12/04/2020

Physicians who have financial relationships with medical services facilities, such as labs and imaging services, are able to refer more Medicare or Medicaid patients to those facilities under a final rule published this week.

TMA to AG: Protect Physician Data from Open Records Request - 11/23/2020

The Texas Medical Association is fighting to keep confidential the personal and financial data of physicians who recently participated in an independent dispute resolution process created by Texas’ surprise billing law – Senate Bill 1264.

Mismatch Game: PMP Errors Could Harm Patient-Physician Relationship - 10/30/2020

Now that Texas prescribers must check a patient’s history in the state’s prescription monitoring program (PMP) before prescribing opioids, plus three other drug classes, the errors are becoming more apparent.  

Be Vigilant - Hospital Medical Staff Bylaws and You - 09/16/2020

To bolster an argument that bylaws are binding on physicians, medical staff, and a hospital, the Texas Medical Association Office of the General Counsel has crafted language that could improve the binding effect of your hospital’s bylaws.

TMA to IRS: Direct Primary Care, Health Care-Sharing Ministries Aren’t Insurance - 08/19/2020

The Texas Medical Association is urging the IRS to reconsider a proposed rule that would classify direct primary care (DPC) arrangements and health care-sharing ministries (HSMs) as insurance.

The PMP Requirement Begins - 08/18/2020

With EHR integration in place, physicians must check the state prescription monitoring program (PMP) prior to prescribing an opioid starting March 1.

The Updated Skinny on Texas’ Surprise Billing Law - 07/08/2020

The Texas Medical Association has updated its white paper on Texas’ law for settling out-of-network billing disputes involving state-regulated health plans.

Clear as Mud? Federal Rule Will Mandate Hospitals to Post Prices on a Menu of Services - 04/30/2020

From electronic health records to quality reporting, today’s physicians deal with plenty of distractions from patient care. Starting in 2021, hospital-employed physicians may find themselves adding another one: explaining to patients the difference between their hospital’s multiple published prices for the same service.

TDI Fines Blue Cross $10 Million for Delays, Errors - 03/11/2020

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas will pay a $10 million fine for providing consumers incorrect information, delays in out-of-network claims processing, and errors in marketing materials, the Texas Department of Insurance has announced.

Update: TMB Clears Up Questions About PMP Checks for Inpatient Care - 02/21/2020

Will you be required to check the Texas Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) when a patient is admitted to a hospital or emergency department? Will you be required to check PMP Aware upon admission? What if you need to prescribe those medications while the patient is in that facility? The Texas Medical Board issued guidance on those very questions this week.

Help Patients Stand Up to Be Counted in the Census - 02/05/2020

Physicians can improve census reporting by stressing the census’ importance to patients and explaining that it’s safe. The information people give is private and guarded from other branches of federal, state, and local governments. People will begin receiving official Census Bureau mail March 12, and the final counting will end July 31.

Changes Coming to Certain Informed Consent Forms - 01/02/2020

The Texas Medical Disclosure Panel has adopted changes to two informed consent forms, which will take effect at the beginning of 2020. The panel made amendments to its Disclosure and Consent for Medical Care and Surgical Procedures form and its Disclosure and Consent for Hysterectomy form.

Yes, You Do Have to Comply With a MIPS Audit Request - 08/14/2019

TMA finally received clarification from CMS: If you receive an Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) audit request for the 2017 and/or 2018 performance years, compliance is indeed mandatory, and there are possible punishments for noncompliance.

TMA to Congress: Undo Payment Freeze, Help Physicians With MACRA - 06/25/2019

Physicians participating in the Quality Payment Program’s Merit-Based Incentive Payment System and alternative payment models need help from Congress to succeed, and lawmakers need to undo an upcoming freeze on Medicare payments. That’s what the American Medical Association, the Texas Medical Association, and dozens of other medical societies told House of Representatives and Senate leaders in both parties in a letter sent last week.

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.

Expect HEDIS Records Requests From Third Parties - 02/28/2019

If a company called Ciox Health contacts your office on behalf of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas or UnitedHealthcare, it is because both insurers have contracted with Ciox to collect performance data they are required by law to report.

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.

Is the PMP Working for You? - 01/16/2019

The Texas Medical Association, in collaboration with the Center for Health Communication at The University of Texas at Austin, invites you to share your expertise on using the Prescription Monitoring Program to help care for your patients.

TMA Wins Changes to Proposed Informed Consent Forms - 12/14/2018

The Texas Medical Disclosure Panel (TMDP) will take another run at amending its medical and surgical procedure form after the Texas Medical Association submitted strong objections to the form TMDP proposed in September.

Update: Glitches With State's Schedule II Prescription Forms Fixed - 09/21/2018

Some physicians have not been able to order new prescription forms for certain controlled substances because of problems with the state’s IT system, and the texas.gov website.

Procedures on Informed Consent Lists Revised - 09/04/2018

The Texas Medical Disclosure Panel recently approved changes to the lists of medical care and surgical procedures that require disclosure of specific risks and hazards.