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Death Certificate Problems Being Addressed, State Says - 09/19/2024

State health officials say they are continuing to address problems and long wait times associated with the rollout of the new TxEVER system for registering death and birth certificates. On Monday, DSHS officials told the Texas Medical Association that they significantly reduced wait times by shifting staff from other departments to handle customer service phone lines.

State Working to Clear Confusion with TxEVER - 09/19/2024

Although an official with the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) last week said the new TxEVER system should be operating smoothly, the agency on Friday acknowledged some of the difficulties physicians are experiencing.

Capital Gains: Attracting Investors Without Losing Independence - 09/19/2024

Can physicians line up venture capital without letting go of their independence? It’s not so easy.

Dawn Duster Examines “Rubik’s Cube” of New DNR Law - 04/23/2024

The in-hospital DNR law, codified as Senate Bill 11 in the 2017 Texas Legislature, went into effect on April 1, 2018. Ms. Atwood and Jason Morrow, MD, medical director of inpatient palliative medicine at University Health System in San Antonio, examined the legal requirements of the complicated law and associated ethical considerations.

Learn About the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program - 09/13/2023

Now that new federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program rules expand eligibility for California and Texas physicians, take advantage of an upcoming webinar hosted by the California Medical Association, California Hospital Association, Texas Medical Association, and Texas Hospital Association to learn about how to qualify.

Patient Care Protected: Physician Autonomy/Corporate Practice Protections - 08/04/2023

Despite an onslaught of attempts by state government and corporate entities to undermine the patient-physician relationship, the Texas Medical Association successfully prevented any new measures criminalizing patient care this legislative session

Legislative Hotline March 4, 2021: TMA Opposes End-of-Life Care Bill That Poses Threat to “Do No Harm” - 07/17/2023

The Texas Medical Association is once again working to stop legislative attacks on a physician’s sacred creed to “do no harm,” which includes taking care of patients in their last days.

TMB Won’t Penalize Physicians For Technical Problems With Vital Registry - 07/17/2023

The Texas Medical Board confirmed Saturday that it will not take action against physicians who experience technical issues with Texas’ new vital statistics registry, TxEVER.

Medicare Pays for End-of-Life Consults - 07/17/2023

As of January, Medicare pays physicians for advance care planning as a separate service, a long-sought victory that promotes educating patients and physicians on the issue. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services created two new payment codes that cover it as a separate service in physician practices and facilities, including hospitals.

Physician-Led Results: Corporate Practice of Medicine Protections - 06/28/2023

Despite an onslaught of attempts by state government and corporate entities to undermine the patient-physician relationship, TMA successfully prevented any new measures criminalizing patient care this legislative session. Medicine also laid the foundation for a balanced solution to the use of noncompete clauses.

TMA House Prioritizes Practice Viability, Prior Authorization Reform - 05/25/2023

Texas physicians continue to face increasing industry consolidation and worsening administrative burdens, both of which threaten practice viability – and, with it, patients’ access to care.

Scoping Out the Best Care: TMA Defends Team-Based Care Model - 04/03/2023

As expected, scores of scope expansion attempts have again crept their way into the hundreds of bills TMA is tracking; it's an issue that affects all physicians and patients, regardless of specialty or geography.

Legislative Priority #6: Physician Autonomy, Corporate Practice Protections - 03/14/2023

During the 2023 state legislative session, the Texas Medical Association aims to protect physicians from being criminalized for the practice of medicine and to keep nonmedical entities from interfering with patient care.

OIG: Physicians Incorrectly Billing for End-of-Life Care Planning - 01/05/2023

Advance care planning (ACP) services were meant to give patients the opportunity to choose the care that is right for them at the end of their lives or during medical crises that could render them unable to make personal health decisions.

Use Medication Reconciliation to Prevent Errors - 10/07/2022

Medication reconciliation helps avoid medication errors such as omissions, duplications, dosing errors, or drug interactions.

Voice of Reason: TMA’s Board of Councilors Tackles Ethical Policymaking - 06/08/2022

Established in 1903, the Board of Councilors renders and updates opinions on matters of medical ethics, from abortion and medical use of cannabis to physician-assisted suicide and restrictive covenants, among other responsibilities.

CMS Proposes Delay of New Value-Based Payment Model - 05/18/2022

As Medicare once again prepares to delay a new payment model several years in the making, Houston radiation oncologist Andrew Farach, MD, is applauding that decision, saying its current version doesn’t give small and rural practices a fair shake.

Advance Directives Act: Directive to Physicians - 03/22/2022

The Texas Health and Safety Code authorizes the use of a written Directive to Physicians in accordance with these guidelines.

Hospital Asks for Expedited Trial in Fort Worth Life-Sustaining Treatment Case - 04/30/2021

Believing that court-mandated, life-sustaining treatment is causing harm to a child in its care, Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth is attempting to resolve a highly publicized court case as quickly as possible.

House Passes Measure to Prevent Medical Billing Tax - 04/07/2021

Thanks to tireless work from a physician-legislator, the house of medicine took a huge step Tuesday toward preventing a planned tax on medical billing services that would take money out of patients’ and physicians’ pockets.

Wrong Directive: Legal Shifts on End-of-Life Care Concern Physicians - 02/27/2021

Challenges to Texas laws governing end-of-life care, whether through legislative rewrites or judicial override, are nothing new. The recent success of those challenges is. In particular, two recent erosions have physicians like Houston palliative care specialist Mark Casanova, MD, chagrined and concerned about the future of doctors’ role in end-of-life treatment.

Defend Patient Decisions at the End of Life - 02/11/2021

Perhaps no decision we make is more personal, difficult, or profound as choosing how we wish to spend our final days, and it’s one physicians encourage patients to make long before the need arises.

Surgeries in Mexico Linked to Antibiotic-Resistant Infections - 01/15/2019

Several Americans have developed antibiotic-resistant infections after undergoing invasive medical procedures in Mexico, health officials warned recently.

Government Mandate to Doctors Could Harm Some Patients - 11/10/2016

The federal government currently requires physicians to perform a medical procedure on patients to help them, but the procedure can instead cause serious harm to some, so Texas physicians are fighting to get the government to rescind the directive. If the doctors don’t follow orders, they and the hospital where the care takes place risk a poor grade.