Stories with related Professional Interests

Vaccination Social Media Toolkit - 08/07/2020

The Texas Medical Association’s Be Wise – ImmunizeSM program has created a variety of shareable social media assets to help you convey that vaccinations for children and adults are important, safe, and effective. Please click on the links below to save and share to your social media pages.

Urge Texans to Get Flu Vaccine Early, Officials Say - 08/06/2020

With flu season on the horizon – and the COVID-19 pandemic expected to continue – Texas physicians should strongly encourage patients to receive a flu vaccination as early as possible.

Hard Hats School Giveaways Help Kids Read, Ride - 08/06/2020

During the COVID-19 pandemic, joining with a local school that gives bikes as a reward for achievement is a good fit for a Texas Medical Association Hard Hats for Little Heads bike helmet giveaway.

Medicare to Pay for Counseling Patients to Self-Isolate During COVID-19 Testing - 08/06/2020

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced that Medicare will pay you for counseling your patients – at the time of testing – about the importance of self-isolation while they await their test results.

Pharmacy Board Chloroquine Restrictions Lapse - 08/05/2020

The Texas State Board of Pharmacy’s emergency rule restricting prescriptions of chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, mefloquine, and azithromycin has expired, and board regulations on prescribing those drugs have now returned to normal, the board confirmed to Texas Medicine Today.

Caution Urged as Officials Continue to Monitor Coronavirus - 08/05/2020

State and federal health officials continue to monitor COVID-19. As of Wednesday afternoon, 459,887 cases and 7,497 deaths have been confirmed in Texas, according to a tracker for Texas COVID-19 cases published by the state Department of State Health Services.

Encourage Patients to Donate COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma - 08/05/2020

Convalescent plasma is one of the most promising treatment options being studied for COVID-19. Physicians should encourage recovered COVID-19 patients to donate at their local blood bank.

How Has COVID-19 Affected Care in the Laredo Region? - 08/05/2020

The Border Health Caucus and Texas Medical Association have created a weekly summer Zoom series focused on COVID-19 health care in the border region. The next meeting – scheduled for 7 pm CT Thursday, Aug. 6 – will focus on care in the Laredo area.

Provide This Letter to Patients Returning to Onsite Work - 08/05/2020

If your practice doesn’t already provide letters to recovered COVID-19 patients saying it's safe for them to return to work, the Texas Medical Association has created one that you can customize for your practice.

Chart Provides Steps For Patients Who’ve Been Exposed to COVID-19 - 08/05/2020

A lot of patients might not know exactly what they should do if they’ve been exposed to the illness, especially if they do not show symptoms. That’s why the Texas Medical Association COVID-19 Task Force has created a decision tree to help people understand what to do if they have been exposed to COVID-19.

What to Do If a Staff Member or Patient Tests Positive - 08/05/2020

The TMA COVID-19 Task Force has created a guide for what to do when someone in your office – whether a staff member or a patient – tests positive for the disease. The guide includes links to important information on disinfection, work-restriction, and legal and ethical resources.

Texas Warehousing PPE to Prepare for School Year, Flu Season - 08/04/2020

 Although Texas’ supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) is currently stable, the state has been stocking up to prepare for schools to reopen and for flu season to begin, Gov. Greg Abbott said today.  

Deadline to Apply for Medicaid and CHIP Emergency Funds Extended Through August - 08/03/2020

The deadline for physicians who treat Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) patients to apply for federal Provider Relief Funds has been extended to Aug. 28. 

Surge Response: How the Panhandle Handled One of the State’s Biggest COVID-19 Outbreaks - 08/03/2020

IN TEXAS, COVID-19 outbreaks have been especially pronounced in three types of facilities: nursing homes, jails or prisons, and meatpacking plants. The Amarillo area has plenty of all three. But it was the meatpacking plants that drew national attention to Amarillo’s COVID-19 problems. The city, which straddles Potter and Randall counties, has numerous plants that employ 12,000 to 15,000 people. In early April, Amarillo’s two hospitals began filling up with COVID-19 patients who worked at a plant in neighboring Moore County. Two weeks later, workers from a plant in Potter County flooded in.  

Quarantine’s Quandary: Some Texans Unable to Self-Isolate - 08/03/2020

As the state ramps up “contact tracing” as a key part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to stop the spread of COVID-19 and return Texas to economic normalcy, some health officials say physicians can help those for whom quarantine and isolation are a challenge.

Talk to Patients About: What Is ImmTrac2? - 08/03/2020

ImmTrac2, Texas’ revised immunization registry, is designed to help people keep their vaccine records in order. Texas residents who sign up can have their immunization records stored for free, allowing physicians, schools, and other authorized people to see which shots a person has received and which ones they’ve missed.

Texas Medicaid, CHIP Changes Extended Into October - 07/30/2020

As requested by the Texas Medical Association, the Health and Human Services Commission has extended some Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) flexibilities through Oct. 23.

Can You Hear Me Now? Communicating Across the COVID-19 PPE Chasm - 07/30/2020

With some of our go-to non-verbal skills now rendered ineffective due to personal protective equipment (PPE), a heightened awareness of how we connect with our patients to build trust is essential. Don’t let your PPE distance you more from your patients. Instead, redouble your efforts to foster communication and trust using proven techniques.

TMA Foundation Is Calling All Health Champions - 07/29/2020

Texas Medical Association Foundation is accepting nominations for the 2021 John P. McGovern Champion of Health Award, which recognizes exceptional local and statewide programs that address urgent threats to the public’s health or that promote healthy lives and healthy communities.

You Need More Than PPE to Fight COVID-19 Effectively - 07/28/2020

To help community physicians during these challenging times, the Texas Medical Association Foundation (TMAF) has established the TMAF Caring for Physician Healers: Mental Health and Wellness Resources During COVID-19 Fund.

Be Aware of PPE Scams, Price Gouging - 07/28/2020

Physicians should be on the lookout for scammers, fraudulent schemes, and price-gouging involving personal protective equipment (PPE) and other equipment.

Remind Your Patients: Summer Is Here, But So Is COVID-19 - 07/28/2020

To help you remind patients, family, and friends to continue to practice what are now well-known safety precautions, the Texas Medical Association has created a video featuring TMA President Diana Fite, MD, urging Texans to stay safe.

Texas Changes Online COVID-19 Death and Case Reporting - 07/28/2020

The Texas Department of State Health Services and Health and Human Services Commission have made several changes to daily COVID-19 case and fatality reports online, the agencies said this week.

Apply for COVID-19 Relief Funds Before Next Week’s Deadline - 07/27/2020

State health leaders are encouraging physicians who treat Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) patients to apply for federal COVID-19 relief funds before the Aug. 3 deadline.

You Can Help Prevent Family Violence During COVID-19 - 07/27/2020

How has family violence changed during COVID-19 and how can medicine respond? Four members of the Texas Medical Association Subcommittee on Behavioral Health address those questions and more in a new TMA Practice Well podcast – Family Violence During COVID-19.