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‘Who Writes the Rules Matters’: Medical Students Converge on Capitol to Educate and Advocate - 04/24/2025

As First Tuesdays continues its run in the second half of session, physicians and medical students bring their thoughts, stories, and concerns to lawmakers to shed light on TMA priorities, including scope of practice and physician workforce measures.

Safely Incorporate Remote Patient Monitoring Into Your Practice - 02/07/2025

If you’re considering using telemedicine or remote patient monitoring, the Texas Medical Liability Trust’s (TMLT) Risk Management team has some recommendations to protect you and your practice.

Are You Ready for Telemedicine Prime Time? - 02/07/2025

Like a stage actor who comes across awkward on a television or movie screen, you might find it challenging to connect with your patients during video telehealth visits. Here are some tips to make for five-star video telehealth visit.

Let Your Patients Know You Use Telemedicine - 02/07/2025

To make telemedicine more available, many state and federal rules and regulations regarding telehealth have changed temporarily during the COVID-19 public health emergency, including payments for certain types of visits. That’s all good news if you or your practice is struggling financially because of decreased in-person patient visits. But it doesn’t mean much if your patients don’t know about it.

Congress Extends Telemedicine Flexibilities in Medicare - 11/07/2024

The COVID-19-era flexibilities for telemedicine in Medicare will last at least another five months following recent action by Congress.

CDC: Masks Still Recommended for Everyone in Health Care Setting - 11/07/2024

Does the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend masking for physicians and other health care professionals to prevent the spread of COVID-19?

Talk to Patients About: Breakthrough Infections for COVID-19 Vaccinations - 09/13/2024

 The new mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 are highly effective at giving people immunity against the disease. But as with all other vaccines, that immunity is not 100% for everyone who receives them.  

New Tyler Medical School Wins Approval - 08/09/2024

 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.

Long COVID Definition Created to Help Physicians, Patients - 08/01/2024

To better understand and manage “long COVID”, physicians must first be able to define the condition – so far impossible with no set parameters or qualifications. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently moved to rectify that problem as a committee of experts created a consensus definition.

New Poster Encourages Flu Vaccination Amid COVID-19 - 07/22/2024

“COVID-19 is here, but so is the flu.” That is the message of a new downloadable poster available from the Texas Medical Association’s Be Wise – Immunize program to help you stress the need for flu vaccination, this year more than ever.

Living Legacy: TMA Archive Preserves Medicine's Past - 06/04/2024

TMA’s archive is vital resource for member physicians, medical historians, genealogists, and educators as well as TMA boards, councils, and committees, which lean on documented precedent when crafting internal policy.

New TMA Policies Aim to Strengthen Physician Workforce Pipeline - 05/14/2024

Among others, top new policies direct TMA to study ways to assist unmatched medical graduates and to advocate for increased per-resident funding to offset medical schools’ teaching costs – a rate that has not budged since 2008. Read more.

TMA Moment In Time: Pandemic Response - 04/09/2024

The strength of organized medicine carried TMA and Texas physicians through an unprecedented public health crisis and beyond.

New Law Prohibits Employer COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates, With Exceptions - 02/28/2024

Thanks to advocacy by the Texas Medical Association, guardrails for patient safety and practice viability are included in a new state law that prohibits employers, including physician offices and health care facilities, from mandating COVID-19 vaccines among employees.

Deadline: TMA Scholarship Fosters Diversity in Medicine - 02/27/2024

As Match Day nears, so does the deadline to apply for a Texas Medical Association scholarship helping to ensure the physician workforce more closely mirrors the population it serves.

A Helping Hand for Future Physicians: The Diversity in Medicine Scholarship - 12/19/2023

Medical school can be an expensive undertaking. The Diversity in Medicine Scholarship aims to make pursuing this noble profession more accessible.

Corpus Hospital Revives Emergency Medicine Residency Program - 12/15/2023

Following a grassroots advocacy effort by local physicians, CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital in Corpus Christi recently reversed its plan to close the CHRISTUS Health-Texas A&M Spohn Hospital Emergency Medicine Residency program in 2026. The program will continue at least through 2029 thanks to funding from the Nueces County Hospital District.

Corpus Hospital Closes ER Residency - 10/24/2023

Christus Spohn Hospital recently announced its plan to close its emergency medicine residency program in June 2026. This came as a shock to the medical community. The statement from Christus cited consideration of the availability of resources as the reason for the unexpected closure. Read the op-ed.

Unlocking Doors: Diversity in Medicine Scholarship Program Connects Students with Mentors - 10/21/2023

When the Texas Medical Association founded its Diversity in Medicine Scholarship Program in 1998 to diversify the physician workforce, Dr. Ramamurthy became both a contributor and a mentor to students who receive the scholarships. “When you’re mentoring students, one of the things that you want them to understand is that you’re somebody they can talk to who is not only there as a teacher, but as a friend,” she said. Other top donors to the Diversity in Medicine Scholarship serve voluntarily as mentors to student awardees. TMA encourages those arrangements because they can benefit both parties.

Inspiring Choices: Mentorship Can Boost African-American Representation in Medicine - 10/20/2023

African Americans are underrepresented in medicine. Mentorship can help them choose medical careers.

Fulfilling a Dream - 10/20/2023

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine has largely dispensed with lectures and focuses more on group learning and practical experience. This and other innovations dovetail with the school's focus on public health, which is vital in a region notorious for high poverty and chronic health problems.

FDA Approves New RSV Vaccine, COVID-19 Booster - 10/19/2023

Physicians will have a new vaccine in their arsenal to help protect against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a timely development as cold, flu, and COVID-19 illnesses tend to converge and ramp up this time of year and become difficult to differentiate.

Rotations, Residency Applications, Testing Fees? TMA Low-Interest Loans Can Help - 10/03/2023

As a medical student, Zachary Hamilton, MD, had no idea how he was going to pay for his fourth-year residency applications and travel expenses to interviews. Then he heard about and applied for a TMA low-interest educational loan.

Leading in Crisis: Diana L. Fite, MD, Carried TMA During COVID-19 Pandemic - 10/03/2023

Diana L. Fite, MD, carried TMA during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Urge Texans to Get Flu Vaccine Early, Officials Say - 09/06/2023

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.