Dubbed by Texas Monthly as the “cancer belt,” Texas’ upper Gulf Coast region is an oil-and-gas industrial corridor stretching through Harris, Jefferson, and surrounding counties.
For Anastasiia Rudkovskaia, MD, it’s important to understand the environment to build a career as an interventional pulmonologist. Patients walk through her Baytown doors needing treatment, but many face significant delays fighting insurance.
“It’s literally 30 miles to Houston,” said Dr. Rudkovskaia, who was born, raised, and medically trained in St. Petersburg, Russia. “Imagine what it’s like somewhere in a rural area and someone has cancer. How long are those patients going to wait?”
For her Texas Medical Association Leadership College capstone project, Dr. Rudkovskaia drew on her clinical experience to co-author a resolution for TMA’s House of Delegates aimed at streamlining the challenging prior authorization process.
The resolution called for TMA to advocate with the Texas Legislature and Texas Department of Insurance for a defined, expedited pathway for clinically urgent, nonemergent thoracic oncology diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. It also asked the TMA Delegation to the American Medical Association to advocate for similar national policy.
At TexMed 2026 in Corpus Christi, Dr. Rudkovskaia’s resolution was referred for study – a common House of Delegates outcome that lets the association further examine the issue. But it was an eye-opening, educational experience for someone who wants to make a difference for her patients.
“When you try to do something that affects so many areas of patient care, including insurance, a lot of questions start being raised,” Dr. Rudkovskaia said. “But this was near and dear to my heart, especially in my specialty. It’s something I’m really passionate about.”
For more information on the Leadership College including the application and selection process, visit its webpage.