The Atlantic hurricane season has begun, and physicians who may be affected by a hurricane or other tropical storm need to be prepared for the impact it can have on their patients and their practice.
For help getting prepared, look to the Texas Medical Association’s Disaster Preparedness and Response Resource Center for up-to-date information and tools, including:
- Information on accessing patient data via the state’s new electronic disaster response system.
- A TMA whitepaper (login required) on a 2019 law that expands civil liability protection to health professionals who volunteer their services during disasters and sponsoring health care facilities that provide care, assistance, or advice during disasters. Also find a video and story on the law: Senate Bill 752.
- Health insurance claims information, including details about claims filing and deadlines; and ICD-10-CM coding advice.
- A look back at Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
And be sure to check out TMA’s Disaster Planning Toolkit: Preparing for the Unexpected. The CME handbook provides tips on how to train your staff for many common emergencies in Texas and help with developing strategies for resuming functions after an emergency occurs. As part of your TMA membership, hundreds of CME and ethics hours are now available at no cost to you, compliments of TMA Insurance Trust.
As always, contact TMA’s Knowledge Center at (800) 880-7955 or via email with any questions about how to protect yourself, your practice, or Texas patients from disasters.
Photo: Creative Commons
Last Updated On
October 08, 2022
Originally Published On
September 23, 2019