News

FDA’s Juul Ban a Partial Win in Fight Against E-Cigarettes - 06/28/2022

The importance of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) recent order for electronic cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc. to stop selling or distributing products “cannot be overstated,” said Pasadena pediatrician Lindy Upton McGee, MD, an assistant professor

TMA Calls on Lawmakers to Stop the Latest Medicare Pay Cut - 06/28/2022

Just days remain for Congress to stop yet another pending Medicare physician pay cut, and the Texas Medical Association is again feverishly working the nation’s Capitol.

CDC: COVID “Rebound” Chance Doesn’t Affect Paxlovid Recommendation - 06/28/2022

Despite the possibility of a symptom recurrence after a COVID-19 patient is treated with Paxlovid, that antiviral drug remains recommended for initial COVID treatment, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in a recent health alert.

Imaging Contrast Shortage Highlights Need for Relaxed Prior Auth - 06/27/2022

A shortage of iodinated contrast media resulting from recent COVID-19 lockdowns in China has put a focus on prior authorization barriers that unnecessarily impede the imaging services patients need to ensure timely care.

Help TMA Foundation Break a Record to Amplify Community Impact - 06/27/2022

Did you miss out on the chance to participate in the Texas Medical Association Foundation’s annual gala this year at TexMed 2022?

Science Teachers Inspire Future Physicians, Earn TMA Honors - 06/27/2022

The foundation for a great physician begins in a classroom, with inspiration from passionate science teachers. Three outstanding Texas science teachers received the Texas Medical Association’s 2022 Ernest and Sarah Butler Awards for Excellence in Science Teaching at a ceremony in Austin earlier this month.

Monkeypox Wave Intensifies; Get Educated With TMA Fact Sheet - 06/24/2022

The monkeypox outbreak in the U.S. is now the worst documented wave of the disease in the nation’s history, surpassing the previous one in 2003. As cases of this rarely seen disease climb, the Texas Medical Association’s Committee on Infectious Diseases has put together a four-page fact sheet, Monkeypox: What Physicians Need to Know, to help educate physicians.

Post-Uvalde, TMA Urges State Support for Mental Health Care and Child Interventions - 06/24/2022

As state lawmakers chart a path forward after the Robb Elementary school shooting in Uvalde last month, the Texas Medical Association is offering stories of hope that illustrate promising potential solutions: investments in mental health systems that can intervene before a troubled youth becomes a perpetrator of gun violence.

TMA at AMA: Reflections - 06/22/2022

Little Elm internist John Flores, MD, TMA vice speaker and Texas delegate to the American Medical Association, takes a look back at the progress made at this year's Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates. See Dr. Flores' reflections.

CMS Kicks Off Webinar Series on No Surprises Act - 06/22/2022

Two upcoming webinars from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) – including one scheduled for next week – will educate physicians on the federal No Surprises Act (NSA) as part of a collaboration between CMS and the American Medical Association.

CDC Recommends COVID Vaccines for Kids as Young as 6 Months - 06/21/2022

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended two COVID-19 vaccines that now can be used for children between 6 months and 5 years old, meaning physicians and other vaccinators can begin giving those shots – and they’re now available for ordering through the state’s Vaccine Allocation & Ordering System.

State Leaders Issue Proposals for School Safety, Mental Health Funding - 06/21/2022

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) called on state leaders to spend nearly $180 million on mental health and school safety programs in a series of proposals following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde last month.

State Webinar: COVID Vaccines for Kids Under 5 - 06/17/2022

The Texas Department of State Health Services is holding its latest Texas Vaccine Provider Webinar, focusing on the launch of COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5, today from noon to 1:30 pm CT.

Member Spotlight: M. Brett Cooper, MD, LGBTQ Health Section Chair - 06/17/2022

The celebration of Pride Month in June strives to highlight awareness of issues affecting the LGBTQ community. With this awareness also comes the need for advocacy.

Federal Prior Auth Bill Filed in Congress - 06/15/2022

U.S. Rep. Michael C. Burgess, MD (R-Lewisville), is following his fellow Texas physicians’ lead on curbing insurers’ hassle-laden prior authorization burdens, introducing a federal bill similar to the “gold-card” law the Texas Medical Association proposed and championed into law at the state level.

Supreme Court Sides With Physician’s Push to Clear National Practitioner Data Bank Record - 06/14/2022

In a major victory for medicine, a Texas Supreme Court decision has paved the way for physicians exonerated of wrongdoing to fully clear their names in the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB), the federal clearinghouse that records certain adverse or disciplinary actions taken against health care workers.

Ten Donors Earn Recognition for Crucial Support of TMAF - 06/13/2022

The Texas Medical Association Foundation and its president, Michael E. Speer, MD, recognized 10 organizations for their membership in the foundation’s Corporate Leadership Circle during TMAF’s annual gala at TexMed 2022 in Houston.

Financial Stress During Residency? TMA Low-Interest Loans Can Help - 06/13/2022

“Professional and fast.” That’s how one Texas resident physician described the application process for a low-interest loan from the Texas Medical Association, which bridged the gap before he received his first paycheck during residency.

Texas Ranked Worst State for Access to Prenatal, Maternal Care - 06/10/2022

A recent study ranked Texas 50th among all states in access to high-quality prenatal and maternal care, and one of the main reasons is the difficulties women face in getting health care coverage both before and after their hospital stay to give birth, says Houston obstetrician-gynecologist Rakhi Dimino, MD, chair of the Texas Medical Association’s Committee on Reproductive, Women’s and Perinatal Health.

TMA Foundation Secures Matching Gift to Support Hard Hats for Little Heads - 06/10/2022

Champions of the Texas Medical Association’s Hard Hats for Little Heads program rose above and beyond at the TMA Foundation’s 29th annual gala on April 29 and earned a $10,500 matching gift during the event’s Make-A-Difference fundraising drive.

Feds Declare “Long COVID” a Disability - 06/10/2022

Although the pandemic rages on, there may be some relief in sight for people with lingering effects from COVID 19 infection – or “long COVID” – as well as consequences for the physicians who treat and employ them. The Biden administration in late

Monkeypox Cases Resurface; CDC Urges Vigilance - 06/09/2022

With cases of monkeypox recently reported in several countries that don’t normally have that virus – including at least one confirmed case in the U.S. – federal health authorities are advising physicians to be on the lookout for the characteristic rash usually associated with monkeypox.

TMA Fighting to Stop Yet Another Medicare Pay Cut – and Looking for System Overhaul - 06/08/2022

After decades of Medicare physician pay cuts – the latest of which is set to take effect on July 1 – the Texas Medical Association and others in organized medicine have set their sights on comprehensive reform.

Early RSV Spread Prompts State to Make Synagis More Available - 06/07/2022

High-risk children enrolled in Medicaid and two children’s health programs will be able to access the medication Synagis in the coming weeks to combat an earlier-than-expected resurgence of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), state health authorities say.

For Five Decades, Texas Physicians Have Helped Care for Physicians - 06/07/2022

Since 1961, the Texas Medical Association’s Physicians Benevolent Fund has provided assistance to Texas physicians and their families who have fallen on hard times because of poverty, sickness, disability, accident, or other circumstances. Beginning this year, the newly established PBF Wellness Fund is available for qualified physicians who cannot afford treatment for depression, substance-abuse disorders, or other impairments.