News

Medicine With a Med Student: A Deep Dive Into Women’s Health Services in Texas, Part 2 - 07/27/2021

When it comes to health care, women have specific medical needs that require special attention, from family planning to pre- and post-menopausal care. However, a significant number of Texas women do not have health insurance to access those necessary medical services.

Need PPE? TMA Has a Vendor List For That - 07/27/2021

Need PPE but have trouble meeting vendor minimums? Have you had difficulty accessing the state supply? Look no further. Now you can use the Texas Medical Association’s new Texas-based PPE vendor guide, with information to help locate what you need from vendors that can supply small- to medium-sized practices with little or no minimum order quantities. 

Switching EHRs? Transferring Data Can Be a Hurdle - 07/27/2021

Ready to part ways with your electronic health record (EHR) and move to a different one? Transitioning data from the old EHR to the new one might present some challenges. TMA's new publication, Switching EHR Systems, is available in the TMA Education Center.

DSHS Launches COVID-19 Vaccine Pop-Up Events - 07/27/2021

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is responding to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations with a series of vaccination pop-up events at Walmart locations across Texas.

Help a Physician in Need With a Referral to The Physicians Benevolent Fund - 07/26/2021

It’s often said that talk is cheap. In the case of The Physicians Benevolent Fund (PBF), the payoff for a little talk could be huge for a colleague or friend in need. By sharing information about PBF or by referring someone to the Texas Medical Association, you could give a friend or colleague a much-needed hand up.

DSHS Taking Orders for COVID-19 Vaccine Record Cards - 07/22/2021

If you’ve enrolled to administer COVID-19 vaccines with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), you can now order vaccine record cards from the agency.

New Data Classes Released for Exchanging Electronic Health Information - 07/21/2021

Physicians will be able to electronically share patient information more broadly now that the U.S. Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has released version 2 of the United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI).

Medicaid EHR Incentive Program Deadline Coming Up - 07/21/2021

Participants in the Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive/Promoting Interoperability (PI) program have one month from today to attest to meeting the program requirements – but don’t wait until the last minute.

Modest Payment Change, New Telehealth Requirements in Proposed Medicare Fee Schedule - 07/21/2021

A proposed change to Medicare’s payment formula under the 2022 physician fee schedule, if implemented, would mean a modest payment cut for some physicians. However, the fee schedule proposal – coming in this year at a crisp 1,747 pages – includes what would be significant changes to telehealth in Medicare, among other provisions.

Remind Uninsured Patients: ACA Enrollment Ends Aug. 15 - 07/21/2021

The Texas Medical Association encourages physicians to remind uninsured patients to take advantage of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Special Enrollment Period , which has been extended to Aug. 15 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CDC Probing Monkeypox Case in Dallas - 07/20/2021

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating a case of monkeypox in a person who was diagnosed with the virus after traveling from Nigeria to Dallas.

Medicine With a Med Student: A Deep Dive Into Women’s Health Services in Texas, Part 1 - 07/20/2021

More than 6 million women of reproductive age live in Texas, and 25% of them are uninsured. Health programs that aim to support and improve the health of Texas women are of the utmost importance. However, many Texas women are unaware of the free and low-cost medical services available statewide.

COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Extended Once Again - 07/19/2021

The national public health emergency related to COVID-19 has been extended to July 20 and likely will be extended throughout 2021, the federal Health and Human Services (HHS) Department has announced.

Biden Executive Order Likely to Prompt Rulemaking on Noncompetes - 07/19/2021

Directly and indirectly, the Biden administration’s wide-ranging Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy features myriad implications for health care and physician practices. The executive order, issued earlier this month, takes aim at hospital and insurance market consolidation, noncompete agreements, lack of competition among drug manufacturers, and exorbitant costs of prescription drugs and hearing aids.

Get Involved in School Health Programs: Sign Up for a School Health Advisory Council - 07/19/2021

Local school districts around Texas are choosing members of their school health advisory councils (SHACs) for the upcoming school year, and now’s the time for physicians to sign up to make sure their voices are heard. SHACs are volunteer advisory panels first established in 1995 to ensure each school district’s health programs reflect local community values.

New Scholarship Helps UT System Med Students Pursue Medical Careers - 07/19/2021

Nina Lemieux says getting chosen as a recipient of a new scholarship added to the Texas Medical Association’s cadre of programs is an incredible honor and source of encouragement as she moves forward in her medical education. The third-year student at The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School is one of six Texas medical students to be the first recipients of the Krishna Memorial Scholarship, offered as part of TMA’s family of seven scholarship programs.

Feds Release New Surprise Billing Rules - 07/16/2021

After passage of federal consumer protections against surprise and balance billing, the new law punted a lot of important details about enforcement to the federal rulemaking process.

TMA Argues to Overturn Physician Dispensing Ban - 07/15/2021

Two Texas physicians are taking on the state’s general ban on physicians dispensing medications out of their offices, now with support from the Texas Medical Association for their argument that the prohibition does more to protect pharmacies than patient care.

Health Disparity Report: Texas’ Black Infant Mortality Drops; Other Numbers Mixed - 07/14/2021

While the U.S. has made some improvements in health during recent years, deep and widespread health disparities persist – and, in some instances, have grown, according to the America’s Health Rankings 2021 Health Disparities Report, which also contains some Texas-specific data.

CME: Learn More About Teen Health Care and Confidentiality - 07/14/2021

The Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy is offering a three-part webinar series on concepts surrounding legal consent to caring for minors in Texas and best practices with respect to confidentiality.

Medicaid Relaxes Prior Authorization for Hep C Antiviral Drugs - 07/14/2021

For years, Texas Medicaid patients with hepatitis C haven’t had access to overwhelmingly effective, often-curative antiviral therapy unless they had advanced liver disease. In many cases, getting the antiviral drugs at that point was too little, too late.

FDA Issues Guillain-Barré Warning on J&J COVID-19 Vaccine - 07/14/2021

The Food and Drug Administration has updated information about the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to warn of increased risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome. According to the new warning, reports of adverse events following use of the vaccine “suggest an increased risk” of the rare neurological disorder during the 42 days after vaccination.

TMA Alliance Chapters Restart In-Person Events, Make Community Impact - 07/12/2021

With vaccination rates rising and the world slowly reopening, Texas Medical Association Alliance (TMAA) chapters across the state have begun hosting events for the first time in months.

COVID-19 Relief Funds Could Bring Medicaid Pay Bump in Fall Special Session - 07/09/2021

A widely anticipated special session of the Texas Legislature is under way. But the Texas Medical Association has much of its energy focused on the next special session this fall, when the legislature is likely to tackle distribution of around $16 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funds.

Physician-Led Results: Steps Forward in Telemedicine - 07/08/2021

Coming into the 2021 session, the Texas Medical Association had hope that telemedicine’s success in allowing for remote care during the COVID-19 pandemic would prompt lawmakers to permanently relax many state policies restricting its use.