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Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) - 04/09/2025

The impact of adverse childhood events (ACEs) can be lasting and costly on patient health and medical outcomes. In the United States, more than 20% of adults report experiencing three ACEs during their youth, potentially increasing the risk of negative, chronic health consequences and challenges such as alcoholism, depression, unemployment, heart disease and substance abuse, among many others.

U.S. Main Residency Match Reveals New and Growing Specialty Interests - 04/07/2025

This year’s match results show growth in osteopathy, a rebound in emergency medicine and pediatrics, and obstetrics holding steady.

Confidential Physician Counseling Now Free Thanks to TMAIT - 03/10/2025

Anticipate Joy provides a deep well of support for physicians and their families for free, courtesy of a grant from TMA Insurance Trust (TMAIT). TMA encourages members to avail themselves of the counseling services, which ensure privacy and impose no limit on individual sessions with therapists.

Suicide Risk in Kids With Adverse Childhood Experiences Exacerbated by Pandemic - 09/13/2024

Suicide and suicidal thoughts among high school students who have accumulated adverse childhood experiences became a concern among health care professionals before 2020. But the “social and educational disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated concerns about adolescents’ mental health and suicidal behavior,” according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

‘TMA Health Beat’ Explores Aging Patient Population’s Unique Needs - 08/21/2024

Texas expects to see a nearly threefold increase in people aged 65 and older by 2050, according to the Texas Demographic Center, making it crucial for physicians to learn the unique care needs of this population.

Texas Making Strides to Support 988 Suicide Hotline - 08/20/2024

Texas’ performance with the nation’s 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – launched by a 2022 federal law – is seeking to catch up to other states in important areas, according to a new study, as the resource remains underused in part because many physicians and patients are not aware of it.  

State Plan Tackles Mental Health Coverage - 08/09/2024

Four years after the Texas Legislature passed legislation aimed to improve health plan coverage of mental health conditions and substance use disorders, a state workgroup has released a strategic plan to improve compliance with the law’s protections to put coverage of those treatments on par with other types of health care.

New TMA Policy Guides Physicians on Mental Health Problems Tied to Social Media Use - 06/26/2024

Pediatricians and family physicians have a rich body of evidence testifying to the influence that smartphones and social media can have on children’s health, says Pasadena pediatrician Lindy McGee, MD, chair of the Texas Medical Association’s Committee on Child and Adolescent Health.

The Waco Way: How This Addiction Medicine Specialist Targets Primary Care Challenges - 05/29/2024

How one addiction medicine specialist turned passion into practicality to target behavioral health challenges in primary care.

Mental Health Care to Expand With State Hospital Renovations Under Way - 05/09/2024

Renovations to Texas state mental health hospitals are under way across the state with the help of investments from state legislators and support from the Texas Medical Association to expand access to behavioral health care.

Residency Revival: Grassroots Advocacy Averts Residency Program Closure - 03/12/2024

Grassroots physician advocacy averts emergency medicine residency program closure.

CPAN CME Bolsters Phone Consult Service - 10/17/2023

As children continue to experience trauma due to COVID-19, the Child Psychiatry Access Network (CPAN) can help physicians address the consequences. Along with its phone consult service – which physicians can access any time – CPAN offers virtual CME on various issues physicians are likely to encounter when treating young patients.

988 Suicide Hotline Remains Unfamiliar One Year Post Launch - 09/08/2023

Suicide hotlines frequently are underused by those who need them most because people are simply unaware of them, says Austin obstetrician-gynecologist Kimberly Carter, MD.

Proposed Mental Health Payment Parity Rules Could Restrict Treatments, TMA Tells TDI - 09/06/2023

Proposed rules that would require insurers to cover mental health and substance use disorders at the same rate as other medical procedures could actually exclude or restrict all benefits for certain treatments.

Stable or Critical? Emergency Medicine Has Become Less Popular on Match Day. Why? - 07/10/2023

After four decades of steady demand on Match Days, emergency medicine has turned in lower-than-expected performances in the last two years. What has caused this change and what does it mean?

Help Wanted: Texas’ physician growth strong, but recruitment, diversity still needed - 06/21/2023

Texas' physician workforce has enjoyed strong growth, but there still aren't enough doctors to go around and more diversity is needed.

Need Help With Residency Relocation Expenses? TMA Can Help - 04/05/2023

If you found out your residency destination during the recent Match Day but now find yourself scrambling to gather the funds to get there, the Texas Medical Association is here to help you finance the next leg

U.S. Main Residency Match Posts Another Year of Record-High Positions - 03/27/2023

If the 2023 Main Residency Match was a patient, you’d have to say that the vital signs were strong.

Lege Poised to Boost GME Funding; TMA Urges Rural Workforce Investment - 03/22/2023

With a record-high budget at its disposal, the Texas Legislature seems poised to increase funding for graduate medical education in the 2024-25 biennium, fulfilling one of the Texas Medical Association’s legislative priorities. But physicians say more must be done to address the state’s physician workforce shortage, especially in primary care and in rural and underserved areas.

CPAN Improves Access to Child Mental Health Care - 12/22/2022

Physicians are using the Child Psychiatry Access Network (CPAN) in steadily growing numbers, but many more can – and should – take advantage of this free behavioral health service, says Nhung Tran, MD, a developmental-behavioral pediatric specialist in Austin who serves as CPAN’s pediatric consultant and the Texas Pediatric Society’s liaison to CPAN.

Evidence-Based Strategies Key to Fighting Texas Suicide Rates - 11/29/2022

As 34.2% of adults in Texas report symptoms of anxiety and depression, Texas physicians are calling for the support and expansion of evidence-based strategies and telemedicine services to bolster mental health care across the state.

Behavioral Health, Suicide Prevention the Focus of TMA’s Next Distinguished Speaker Series - 11/15/2022

Join experts on Nov. 17 from noon to 1 pm to learn how to improve the behavioral health care systems that strengthen Texas communities and reduce suicide risk at the next Distinguished Speaker Series hosted by the Texas Medical Association and Texas Public Health Coalition (TPHC).

Mental Telehealth Paves the Way: Pandemic Flexibilities Expand Access to Care - 11/01/2022

Texas physicians say pandemic-era behavioral telehealth regulatory changes have already proven beneficial – and could be maximized with additional policy reforms, like payment parity for all telehealth visits; in the meantime, the gains of the past few years have forged a path toward future telehealth expansion beyond behavioral health.

Screen Young People Aged 8-18 for Anxiety, USPSTF Recommends - 10/25/2022

The recent recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) that children and adolescents aged 8 to 18 years be screened for anxiety is likely to trigger family conversations about the topic and in turn, spur long-overdue treatment.

Ready for Business: MBA programs broaden physicians' skills - 10/03/2022

A growing number of Texas physicians obtain MBA degrees to sharpen their business acumen, understand finance, and prepare for leadership roles.