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TMB Expands Telemedicine, Opportunities for Retired Physicians Because of COVID-19 - 05/19/2020

In response to Gov. Greg Abbott’s COVID-19 “state of disaster” declaration Friday, the Texas Medical Board has taken several steps to help Texas physicians safely and effectively care for patients. On Thursday, the TMB issued a waiver that allows telephone refills of valid prescriptions for treatment of chronic pain by a physician with an established chronic pain patient.

TMA White Paper Explains Minimum Safe-Practice Standards Rule - 05/13/2020

The Texas Medical Board’s new rule requiring practices follow minimum safe-practice standards has caused a lot of questions and headaches for physicians throughout the state. To help ease any pain, the Texas Medical Association has published a white paper on the rule, which went into effect May 1.

CME From Around the State - 04/03/2020

Check out other CME offerings from around the state.

TMB to Extend Expiring Medical Licenses to Aug. 31 - 03/19/2020

The Texas Medical Board (TMB) will automatically extend until Aug. 31, 2020, all state medical licenses that have expired or will expire between Feb. 28, 2020, and May 31, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said. Any late fees will be waived, TMB said.

TMA to TMB: Let Docs Decide Whether In-Person Visit Needed For Subsequent Opioid Scrips - 03/06/2020

The Texas Medical Association has some suggestions for the Texas Medical Board on how to implement the state’s new 10-day limit on opioid prescriptions for acute pain. A letter to the board says it should be up to the physician’s judgment whether a non-initial 10-day prescription for acute pain requires seeing a patient in-person.

New Tyler Medical School Wins Approval - 03/04/2020

 The University of Texas Board of Regents late last month unanimously approved the first medical school in East Texas – and the 16th in the state – at The University of Texas Health Science Center in Tyler.

Keep Your Records Straight and HIPAA-Compliant With TMA CME - 01/21/2020

TMA’s in-depth publication, Managing Your Medical Records, will help physicians and front office staff better understand the rules of consent, release, and disclosure. Get up to speed on everything from practical, efficient methods for record organization to best practices for record storage that’s HIPAA- and HITECH-compliant.

Improve Your Spiritual, Emotional, and Social Well-Being - 01/14/2020

The Texas Medical Association’s Committee on Physician Health and Wellness has developed CME courses that will help you stay positive, let go of angry thoughts, and relieve stress and burnout.

Register Now For The TMA 2020 Winter Conference - 01/13/2020

Attend the Texas Medical Association's 2020 Winter Conference, scheduled for Jan. 24-25 at the Hyatt Regency Austin and the Louis J. Goodman Texas Medical Association Building (Friday only) in downtown Austin. Online registration is now open.

Do You Give, and Receive, Enough Support From Your Community? - 01/07/2020

As social media and online communities continue to expand, it can be easy to lose your connection to the physical world. Yes, you might be connecting to more people online, but are you spending enough time with the community around you? The Texas Medical Association’s Committee on Physician Health and Wellness has created several CME courses to help.

TMB Pulls Proposed Rule on Surprise Bills - 12/09/2019

The Texas Medical Board has withdrawn its proposed rules to implement pieces of the state’s new law introducing baseball-style arbitration on many out-of-network medical bills. At its meeting Friday, the board pulled down its rule proposal, saying in a statement that it “would not cover all providers under the statute.”

Extreme Medicine: Students Learn to Improvise in Unusual Situations - 12/04/2019

UTMB medical students take part in a two-week extreme medicine program offered in August through UTMB’s preventive medicine residency department. The main thrust of the class was to help aspiring physicians learn how to cope in austere settings where most or all of the tools of modern medicine are unavailable

Flu Season Continues; CDC Offers Free CME on Vaccines - 11/26/2019

If you’re looking for more ways to help prevent and control the spread of seasonal flu by using vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has teamed up with Medscape to offer free CME on the latest vaccine recommendations.

High Deductible Plans? There’s CME for That - 11/25/2019

Texas is No. 2 in the nation in the number of people enrolled in high-deductible health plans – and payment responsibilities have increasingly shifted from insurers to consumers. For practices today, effectively communicating a patient’s financial responsibilities is becoming more vital. The Texas Medical Association’s free webinars can help prepare you and your practice for those conversations.

A Physician’s Personal Take on the Ongoing Impact of Tort Reform - 11/21/2019

Explore the recent effects of tort reform in Texas from the perspective of a physician who was hit with – and eventually overcame – a major liability lawsuit in TMA’s e-book,  Tangled Sutures: A Tale of Triumph and Loss in a Professional Liability Lawsuit

Updated White Paper Has Latest Information on Telemedicine in Texas - 11/12/2019

Updated this year, the Texas Medical Association's white paper, Texas Laws and Regulations Relating to Telemedicine, describes the new Texas legal and regulatory requirements that apply to a physician providing telemedicine medical services.

Learn The ABCs of the QPP With Free CME - 11/12/2019

The Texas Medical Association has heard from physicians who are just now tuning in to the 2019 Quality Payment Program (QPP) and don’t know where to begin to avoid the 7% Medicare payment penalty in 2021.

Removing the Pain from Prescribing Pain Meds - 11/07/2019

If you prescribe opioids for chronic pain, there are things you need to know to protect your patients as well as your practice, including knowing which patients need drug monitoring and what type of monitoring should be implemented. Thankfully, the Texas Medical Association’s new e-book, Monitoring Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain, serves as a brief resource for that information and more.

Ousting the ‘F-Word’ From Your Practice - 10/29/2019

You do everything you can to keep your patients safe and healthy. But are you sure your practice is safe from fraud and abuse? Don’t wait for a costly government audit – or a criminal charge – to come knocking. Check out the Texas Medical Association’s e-book, Fraud and Abuse Prevention Simplified, which can help you learn to protect both your practice and patients.

You’re a Doctor, Not a Business Magnate. But Why Not Be Both? - 10/23/2019

Don’t let the business of medicine bog down your practice. The Texas Medical Association’s publication Business Basics for Physicians can help provide the skills you need to run a successful medical practice.

Can Proper Business Procedures Minimize Practice Risk? - 10/17/2019

Taking the time to develop in-depth policies protects not only you and your staff but also your patients. Using specific, precise, and easy-to-understand language will minimize risk, improve the overall patient experience, and increase the likelihood your office will be paid for the care and services you provide.

Prescribing Changes in Texas: Know What You Need to Know - 10/01/2019

By now you might know that state lawmakers recently passed a number of changes to how prescriptions for certain pain medications must be written and processed, as part of a larger effort to fight prescription fraud and abuse. That's why the Texas Medical Association created a free on-demand webinar that outlines what prescribers can expect.

Is Your Staff as Sharp as Your Scalpel? - 10/01/2019

Do your staff’s communication skills support patient treatment, your reputation, and the livelihood of your business? The Texas Medical Association’s new publication, Rx for Success: Patient-Centered Communication for Physicians, Managers, and Staff, is designed to help practice teams develop the responsive, reliable, and empathic communication skills that patients expect and deserve.

Doctors Drive New Opioid Laws - 09/18/2019

Several new laws will affect how physicians practice and how they prescribe controlled substances, including a delay on required checks of the state’s prescription monitoring program (PMP); a limit on opioid prescriptions for acute pain; and a new electronic prescribing requirement coming in 2021.

TMB Transitions to Electronic Licenses in September - 09/18/2019

Beginning Sept. 1, the Texas Medical Board (TMB) will no longer issue paper licenses for physicians or physician assistants. Instead, new and renewed licenses will be available via the My TMB online portal.