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HHS Removes Home Address Telemedicine Requirement After TMA’s Urging - 03/18/2024

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services will allow for the submission of a post office box or personal mailbox, offered by a private delivery service as a practice location address, when a physician does not have a physical location other than their home address, heeding the Texas Medical Association’s call.


Telemedicine Flexibilities Preserved in Medicare Fee Schedule - 03/05/2024

The 2024 Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) extended several pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities, many of which impact physicians who treat rural patients and those with behavioral health needs.


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.


New Poster Encourages Flu Vaccination Amid COVID-19 - 02/28/2024

“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.


CMS Extends Telehealth Flexibilities to Protect Physician Privacy - 11/27/2023

Following staunch advocacy by the Texas Medical Association, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will not require physicians to list their home address as a practice location on Medicare enrollment forms for another year when providing telehealth services, safeguarding their privacy and safety.


Voter Approval of Broadband Funding Bolsters Telemedicine - 11/27/2023

Texas voters said yes to the creation of a $1.5 billion broadband infrastructure fund Nov. 7, voting in favor to expand internet connectivity to roughly 7 million state residents who lack access to affordable and reliable high-speed internet.


Feds Extend Telemedicine Prescribing Flexibilities Through 2024 - 11/10/2023

With permanent telehealth prescribing policies still under consideration, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) again has extended temporary pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities to allow physicians to virtually prescribe certain controlled medications, now through Dec. 31, 2024.


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.


Texas' Broadband Boom: An Influx of Funds Could Turbocharge Telehealth Access - 10/18/2023

The federal government recently granted Texas $3.3 billion – the largest award of any U.S. state – to deploy and upgrade broadband networks, critical to ensuring access to telehealth care.


Proposition 8 Aims to Expand Broadband Access - 10/16/2023

The fate of a $1.5 billion Texas Broadband Infrastructure Fund rests on a Nov. 7 referendum to expand internet connectivity to roughly 7 million residents who lack access to affordable and reliable high-speed internet.


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.


Talk to Patients About: Breakthrough Infections for COVID-19 Vaccinations - 09/06/2023

 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.  


Tune in Saturday to Watch TMA’s 155th President Take Office - 08/31/2023

Although TexMed 2020 has been canceled, and the Texas Medical Association House of Delegates meeting has been suspended, Diana L. Fite, MD, still will take office as TMA’s 155th president Saturday. Visit TMA’s Facebook page at noon Saturday to watch a live broadcast of her installation and address.


TMA Suspends 2020 House of Delegates Meeting - 08/31/2023

Because of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, the Texas Medical Association Board of Trustees has voted to suspend the 2020 TMA House of Delegates meeting, either virtual or in-person, until an appropriate time in the future when the crisis has subsided.


Report: Most Private Payers Have Stopped COVID Cost-Sharing Waivers - 08/21/2023

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.


Study: Counties With Low Physician Access Also Have Poor Internet Access - 08/02/2023

Residents in rural counties and other medically underserved areas are the most likely to face a double  whammy: Not only do they have the lowest access to physicians and in-person health resources, but they also have the lowest access to the broadband internet services that can bring them telehealth, according to a new study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Digital Health.


Texas Receives $3.3 Billion Federal Grant to Expand Broadband Access - 07/27/2023

Texas recently received the largest federal grant of any U.S. state to support broadband expansion, and the state has high need. Physicians say the boost will help ease telehealth care, among many other benefits. Read more.


COVID-19: Telemedicine - 07/20/2023

View COVID-19 resources related to Telemedicine.


Public Health Emergency’s End Would Kickstart Medicaid Eligibility Re-Checks. Here’s How to Prepare - 07/17/2023

After strong advocacy by the American Medical Association and other organizations, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services appears poised to extend the COVID-19 public health emergency for a 10th time.


UPDATE: Feds Poised to Extend COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Through Spring 2023 - 07/17/2023

After continued advocacy by the Texas Medical Association, American Medical Association, and other organizations, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services seems likely to extend the COVID-19 public health emergency  for an 11th time.


Novavax COVID Vaccine Available to Help Reach Patients Hesitant About mRNA Vaccines - 07/17/2023

The recently introduced COVID-19 vaccine Novavax gives physicians another tool for combating the disease, and it enjoys two important differences from previous vaccines that are potential advantages, says San Antonio infectious disease specialist Charles Lerner, MD, a member of the Texas Medical Association’s COVID-19 Task Force.


PHE End Brings Changes for Telehealth, Billing, and Medicaid - 06/26/2023

The federal public health emergency related to COVID-19 will end May 11 – and with it, several flexibilities related to telehealth coverage, virtual physician supervision of nonphysician practitioners, and Medicaid enrollment for nearly 3 million Texans.


The Unwinding: What the End of the PHE Means for Telehealth - 05/09/2023

Throughout the pandemic, state and federal governments relaxed regulatory and payment barriers to health care by telemedicine. That includes paying for telemedicine visits at the same rate as in-person visits; allowing the use of non-HIPAA-compliant platforms; and removing so-called geographic site restrictions that would normally require a patient to be seen in the office. In 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) also announced a new set of telehealth billing codes, particularly for behavioral health.


Telemedicine Billing, Coverage to Change with PHE End: Here’s How - 05/09/2023

The end of the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11 will kick off a series of changes to telehealth coverage and billing as physicians have known them for the past several years. Texas Medical Association experts were at the ready to prepare and educate physicians on the transition during a recent Ask the Expert event.