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Apply to Be on the Texas Medical Disclosure Panel - 03/09/2026

The 13-member body determines which risks and hazards related to medical care must be disclosed to patients. Four physicians are being sought to serve a five- or six-year term.

Honored by AMA, Dallas Health Authority Reflects on TMA Collaborations - 03/04/2026

Recently presented with an Award for Outstanding Government Service, Philip Huang, MD, believes TMA’s credibility, legislative advocacy and organizational heft played a major role in shaping public health issues.

‘Grow Your Own’: Lawmakers Continue to Invest in Medical Education to Expand Workforce - 03/01/2026

The 2025 session of the Texas Legislature showed that lawmakers still strongly support medical residency programs and medical schools.

A Collaborative Process: Sections Empower Next Generation of Physicians - 02/27/2026

Medical Student, Resident and Fellow Sections empower the next generation of physicians to carry the TMA mantle.   

Physicians Must Disclose AI Use Alongside Existing HIPAA Requirements, Per State Laws - 02/23/2026

Texas Senate Bill 1188 and Texas House Bill 149 require physicians to follow certain disclosure requirements when using artificial intelligence (AI). As these laws take effect, Texas physicians should ensure compliance in conjunction with HIPAA mandates.

Network Adequacy Enforcement Paused for State-Regulated PPOs and EPOs - 02/23/2026

A dispute between the Texas Department of Insurance and Texas Association of Health Plans has reopened rulemaking connected to a 2023 network adequacy law. TMA, which supported that law’s passage, will weigh in on the process.

Governor Vetoes Bill Gutting Medical Board - 02/20/2026

The full force of TMA advocacy came to bear in the veto of Senate Bill 268, which would have eviscerated an important Texas Medical Board function: halting the unlicensed practice of medicine by health professionals licensed by another Texas agency.

County Medical Societies - 02/13/2026

Links to Texas County Medical Societies

Deadline Extended for Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee Positions - 02/06/2026

Three positions are accepting applications by Feb. 24. Several physicians currently serving TMA also participate in the Texas Department of State Health Services-led committee, which makes recommendations to the Texas Legislature to help reduce the number of pregnancy-related deaths and complications in the state.

TMA’s Leadership Collective Strengthens Physician Trailblazers - 02/03/2026

The event included a lively presentation that fielded both physicians’ questions and ideas, resulting in attendees learning key strategies – and leaving with new connections with peers.

Rural-Access Solution Goes Before Senate Committee - 01/16/2026

The culmination of many months and meetings, TMA-backed Senate Bill 2695 was unveiled to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, opening a new pipeline for rural access to care while preserving Texas’ physician-led care model.

Physicians Can Become Influencers with New TMA Resource - 01/15/2026

TMA’s new academy is a self-paced program that educates physicians on how to become social media influencers by focusing on basic building blocks like branding, messaging, storytelling, and beyond.

Direct Payment Model Available to All Texas Physicians Under New State Law - 12/30/2025

House Bill 541, now in effect, replaces the “direct primary care” nomenclature from a TMA-backed 2015 law with the more inclusive “direct patient care.” In a typical direct care model, patients pay a monthly fee, and in return, receive services like office visits and in-office procedures without involving insurance.

Medicine Whelms Nurse Scope Expansion Bill - 12/30/2025

Physicians from across the state made the trek to the Capitol to testify that House Bill 3974 would dismantle Texas’ longstanding physician-led care model and with it, patient safety. TMA and the legislature remain committed to quality solutions to the state’s access-to-care challenges.

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: TMA Defeats Concerning Vaccine Bills For Second Session in a Row - 12/08/2025

Two bills that did survive will took effect Sept. 1, one of which imposes a specific informed consent form on physicians.

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: Amid Bad Insurance Bills Defeated, Gold Card Law Refinements Close Gaps - 12/08/2025

House Bill 3812 addresses some of the shortfalls and inconsistencies among payers in the intended implementation of Texas’ landmark prior authorization exemption law. The law took effect Sept. 1 but additional rulemaking by the Texas Department of Insurance is likely.    

TMA Council, Committee Applications Due Jan. 9 - 12/03/2025

The weeks leading up to TexMed, TMA’s annual policymaking conference, mean new members are selected for TMA’s councils and committees – the engine driving medicine’s grassroots advocacy. Physicians interested in serving or recommending a colleague to serve must submit nominations by Jan. 9, 2026.

Behavioral Health Infrastructure Gets Legislative Focus with TMA-Supported Bills - 12/02/2025

In addition to addressing youth social media use, the legislature also set out to create a pipeline for aspiring mental health professionals. Plus, TMA will help study how to balance psychiatric care burdens.

Resolutions Due Jan. 30 for House of Delegates Consideration - 11/19/2025

With TexMed set a little earlier than usual this year in April, TMA’s House of Delegates is already gearing up its policymaking process. And good TMA policy starts with good resolution-writing, which can be done by any member.

Legislators Can Request Health Insurance Mandate Analysis Via New State Law - 11/18/2025

Though the filed version of the bill would have heavily favored insurance companies, TMA successfully worked to add data transparency provisions to promote a comprehensive and unbiased analysis. Lawmakers also focused on price transparency bills affecting how facilities can bill patients for services.

Key Issues - 11/13/2025

At the heart of TMA's agenda for the 2025 Texas legislative session is protecting the practice of medicine and the patient-physician relationship.

Touting Texas: David N. Henkes, MD, Championed the State’s Physicians in 25 Years on the AMA Delegation - 11/13/2025

David N. Henkes, MD, recalls his first American Medical Association meeting in San Francisco as a new member of the Texas Delegation to the AMA. The November 2001 conference was, in a word, “overwhelming.”

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: Inside the Capitol – Lessons from the 89th Legislative Session - 11/13/2025

TMA Council on Legislation Chair Zeke Silva, MD, offers an inside look at what it was like to operate at the Capitol behind the scenes and on the stage during this year’s session.

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: Erosions to Medical Liability Reforms Fail - 11/13/2025

Medicine’s work this session to preserve Texas’ landmark medical liability reforms started and ended like legislative sessions past with a perennial attempt to index the landmark 2003 noneconomic damages cap to inflation. But that story had a twist this session in that the vehicle to do so, House Bill 4036, was pushed by a pair of Republicans alongside its typical Democrat contingency.  

Obesity Rate Continues to Hike Among Adult Texans - 11/10/2025

Recent findings show the share of adults with obesity is still climbing, maintaining a 20-year upward trend in the state. Texas officials and the legislature work to combat the issue through state programs and new legislation.