Stories with related Professional Interests

Deal or No Deal: Negotiating Contracts - 11/28/2022

Maximize your leverage when negotiating a health plan contract.

New TMA Committee Aims to Protect Private Practice - 10/18/2022

Private practices across Texas face the same threats as their larger counterparts: successive physician pay cuts, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and rising inflation. But they lack access to the same resources when dealing with them. The Texas Medical Association is dedicated to helping them keep their doors open, which led to the formation of a new Ad Hoc Committee on Independent Physician Practice.

Did That Employee Quit, or Did You Fire Her? - 10/11/2022

The question of whether an employee quit or was fired is very important if the ex-employee files for unemployment benefits. It determines who has the burden of proof in the case. These tips from the Texas Workforce Commission can help you keep the onus of proof off you.

Workplace Violence: Protect Yourself and Your Colleagues - 10/07/2022

In some practice settings, physicians and others may encounter violent behavior in patients, clients, and/or residents. Here are some tips for staying safe.

Ask the Expert About Managing Operating Costs - 09/25/2022

Learn how to best manage operating costs in the Texas Medical Association’s next Ask the Expert session on Sept. 29 at noon CT.

Practice Operations Services - 09/16/2022

With the many challenges that face today's medical practices, business operations remain at the core of a practice's ability to be successful and profitable. Work with a TMA practice management consultant to identify and assess key or problematic areas of your practice.

Human Resources Services - 09/15/2022

While having sound and consistent hiring practices will help your practice attract candidates, keeping them takes a lot more effort. A TMA practice management consultant can assist with human resource challenges.

Financial Management Services - 09/15/2022

Having sound financial policies and processes can help your practice attain a steady cash flow, maintain healthy collection ratios, increase staff efficiencies, and boost your overall bottom line.

Six Forms of Employee Theft: It’s More Prevalent Than You Think - 08/16/2022

To help secure your office, it is important to understand the common types of embezzlement and the best prevention measures.

Pinch Points: Health Care Isn’t Immune to a Tight Labor Market - 06/29/2022

Health care isn’t immune to a tight labor market, but employee retention efforts can help.

Contract Do’s and Don’ts: How to Negotiate From a Place of Strength - 06/29/2022

By leaning on Texas Medical Association resources and their own health care attorney, physicians can gain confidence and better negotiate favorable terms to secure their economic success.

About Nurses as Assistants at Surgery - 06/22/2022

Learn what a first assistant nurse is, and how to bill when they assist during surgery.

Navigating a Broken System: Helping Patients Use Health Resources - 03/31/2022

Whether patients do or don’t have health insurance, they need physicians’ help to make the most of their health care resources.

Practice E-Tips on Commercial Insurance - 03/03/2022

Get helpful practice tips on working with commercial insurance providers.

Here’s Your Billing and Collections Checklist for 2022 - 02/14/2022

TMA’s Reimbursement Services staff work year round with physicians and health plans to help make sure you get paid correctly and on time. They’ve put together a list of practical actions you can take at the start of 2022 to keep your billing and collections on track throughout the year.

Four Bill-Collecting Tips for New (or Any) Practices - 02/01/2022

Starting a practice can be daunting, and one challenge often overlooked is making sure you get paid. Although only a small number of patients will not pay you, or will pay slowly, they can hurt your bottom line. Writing off thousands of dollars in charges should not be an option.

AMA: High Concentration in Many Insurance Markets - 10/25/2021

Most U.S. commercial health insurance markets are “highly concentrated” among the top insurers in those markets, and evidence strongly suggests insurers are “causing competitive harm to consumers and providers of care.”  Those were the findings of the American Medical Association’s 2021 update to its annual study, Competition in Health Insurance. 

Share Ideas to Improve Health, Wellness of Medical Workforce - 09/29/2021

TMA's Committee on Physician Health and Wellness wants to know your ideas on how your institution can better support your wellness. The committee invites you to submit your contributions to improve the health of the medical workforce by Monday, Oct. 11 for the upcoming PHW Poster Session.

Take Stock of Equipment and Supply Costs - 09/24/2021

The cost of medical equipment and supplies is an operating expense that requires careful monitoring because overspending can add up quickly. Here are a few tips from TMA Practice Consulting.

Communicating With Patients Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing - 09/23/2021

The Americans With Disabilities Act requires you do whatever necessary to ensure “effective communication” with deaf or hard-of-hearing patients. Here are some tips to help you do this.

Why You Should Conduct Background Checks - 09/17/2021

Starbucks does it. The company routinely conducts a background check when it makes a tentative job offer to any candidate for employment. Medical practices should do so, too.

Eight Reasons Your New Employee Didn’t Work Out - 09/17/2021

Hiring the right employee isn’t an easy job, nor a particularly fun one. You don’t want to do it all over again in a couple of months because your recent new hire didn’t work out. If that happened to you, here are some things you may have done wrong.

COVID-19: Billing and Coding - 09/16/2021

View COVID-19 resources related to billing and coding.

Interview Candidates the Smart Way - 09/08/2021

When interviewing candidates for your practice staff, it’s a good idea to work from prepared questions. Here’s why.

Report: Most Private Payers Have Stopped COVID Cost-Sharing Waivers - 09/08/2021

Private health insurance plans have largely stopped waiving patient cost-sharing for COVID-19 treatment, according to a recent report by the Peterson Center on Healthcare and Kaiser Family Foundation. The data represent an overwhelming shift from payer cost-sharing policies during 2020 as indicated by previous research.