Related Stories

Inaugural TexMed Blood Drive Augments Whole Blood Efforts - 12/04/2025

The blood drive will take place April 17-18, 2026. Earlier this year, physician leaders joined other stakeholders to request funding for whole blood. Now, TMA looks to support and strengthen efforts as funds roll out.

Physicians Caution Texans to Avoid Kratom Products - 12/04/2025

Given a recent spike in people suffering harm from exposures to the opioid-like chemical found in the kratom plant, physicians and state health officials are cautioning Texans not to use the products and offering guidance to help people suffering their ill effects.

COVID-19: Practice Operations - 11/21/2025

View COVID-19 resources related to practice operations.

Diabetes Complications Can Be Devastating, TMA Physicians Warn - 11/20/2025

This National Diabetes Awareness month, TMA physicians are reminding Texans about the dangers of undiagnosed or unmanaged diabetes.  Over 38 million people in the U.S. – including 2.9 million in Texas – live with the disease. More than one in 10 (12.7%) Texans have diabetes.

'The Canary in the Coal Mine': Wastewater Testing Advances Improve Readiness for Outbreaks - 11/13/2025

Houston is home to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Wastewater Surveillance System of Excellence.

The Essence of Outreach: TMA Health Beat Broadens Its Audience to Advocate More Effectively - 11/13/2025

Louise Bethea, MD, sometimes encounters resistance in persuading her patients with asthma to adhere to their daily medication regimen. It’s a problem she attributes, in part, to low health care literacy.

Contaminant Containment: Foodborne Illness Outbreaks Takes Physician Awareness - 11/13/2025

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates each year some 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness, more than 127,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die.

Three Steps That Could Save Your Practice’s Life - 11/12/2025

What would happen to your practice if you suffered an extended illness or a temporary — or permanent — disability? Solo physicians should take three important steps to make their practice ready to go on immediate life support in event of an extended illness or disability.

How to Notify Employees of Closing or Selling a Practice - 11/12/2025

Guidelines for Notifying Employees of the Closing or Selling of a Practice

Medicine Calls for Exemption to New $100,000 H-1B Visa Application Fee - 11/11/2025

International medical graduates (IMGs) make up about a quarter of Texas’ physician workforce, considering both licensed physicians and residents. But a White House executive order, requiring a new $100,000 fee for H-1B work visa applicants, could squeeze this crucial pipeline in meeting health care needs.

Pivoting Toward the Future: Progress in the Physician Workforce Grows Apace With the State’s Population - 11/07/2025

TMA’s physician workforce keeps apace the Texas population growth, and progress is happening to build the workforce through licensure, new state programs, and other initiatives.

Covering Distances: Physicians, Lawmakers, Med Schools Look to Improve Rural Patient Access to Care - 11/07/2025

Texas legislators are taking notice of the dearth of physician care in rural counties with solutions, medical schools are gaining ground with successful rural-specific training tracks, with TMA all the while pushing for further steps to assuage rural health care shortages in Texas.

$3 Billion Dementia Research Investment Up for Vote in November - 11/05/2025

Alzheimer’s disease, which comprises 60-80% of dementia cases, is rising in Texas and becoming a public health crisis, per state officials. TMA supports a new research institute aiming to change that.

New TMA Guide Urges Screening for Colon Cancer - 10/30/2025

Younger adults are seeing an “alarming” increase in colon cancer cases, so the Texas Medical Association (TMA) urges people to ask their physician about colorectal screening.

Hemp Sales See Age Requirement of 21 with More Rules to Come - 10/29/2025

Physicians say medicine must continue to stay at the table and advocate for safe regulation and enforcement, with the new age requirement of 21 only part of the solution. The state is studying and drafting rules for permanent consideration.

Physician Compensation Increasingly Tied to Productivity, Data Finds - 10/28/2025

Only 29% of physician contracts feature a straight starting salary with no production bonus, according to data from a top physician recruiting firm. While quality still plays a role in some bonuses, volume-based metrics are on the rise.

Enjoying Employment: Texas Physicians Trend Away from Independent Practice - 10/14/2025

As the share of Texas physicians trend away from independent practice, TMA members spell out the benefits of employment.

Opioid-like Exposures from Kratom Derivative on the Rise - 10/06/2025

The Texas Department of State Health Services warns physicians and patients of the harms of 7-OH, a chemical derivative of kratom, which at high concentrations can cause rapid heart rate, seizures, and respiratory depression. TMA previously testified on kratom’s risks to the public.

New Colorectal Education Resources Equip Patients and Physicians - 10/06/2025

Signs and symptoms, risk factors, and screening guidelines for colorectal cancer can be found in TMA’s new one-pagers, a patient-facing resource and a handout for physicians. Reluctance to discuss symptoms can impede timely diagnosis.

Texas Expands Newborn Screening Panel to Include Four Lysosomal Diseases - 10/01/2025

The addition of four rare genetic conditions to the state’s battery of blood tests for infants brings the total of screened conditions to 59. Each newborn is assessed twice to identify infants who may have one or more of the dozens of conditions.

Misinformation Increasingly Complicates Care, Physicians Foundation Survey Finds - 09/22/2025

Most physicians feel equipped to identify and correct misinformation in conversations with patients, but a significant portion doubt patients’ ability to access accurate health information online.

Workforce Expansion, Tech Could Help Border Health Care - 09/19/2025

As new solutions to persistent border issues surface, collaboration is vital among physicians, health authorities, and local leaders. TMA’s annual Border Health Conference explored those new pathways.

Legislature Boosts Nutrition, Physical Activity in Texas Schools, Adds Physician CME Requirement - 09/12/2025

Senate Bills 25 and 379, which took effect Sept. 1, guarantee physical activity and recess for grade school children and ban sugar-sweetened drinks and candy from SNAP, respectively. Meanwhile, TMA is monitoring medical school and CME requirements still in development.

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: Texas Physician Workforce Gets Budget Boost - 09/02/2025

Proven avenues to expand Texas’ physician workforce – via funding secured for undergraduate and graduate medical education (GME), loan repayment, and rural training programs, as well as supporting TMB’s efforts to process licenses for physicians moving to Texas from other

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: TMA Helps Craft Balanced Noncompete Compromise - 09/02/2025

TMA helps strike a balance on noncompete agreements between employer and employee members that reconciles the priorities of each contingent without being overly restrictive to either.