Stories from Texas Medicine, October 2023

The Knowledge Center Turns 20: Answering Physicians' Questions and Stewarding Medical History - 04/09/2024

The Texas Medical Association Knowledge Center helps physicians navigate daily challenges, and stewards an archive of Texas medical history.


Texas' Broadband Boom: An Influx of Funds Could Turbocharge Telehealth Access - 10/18/2023

The federal government recently granted Texas $3.3 billion – the largest award of any U.S. state – to deploy and upgrade broadband networks, critical to ensuring access to telehealth care.


Opening Doors: Texas’ Newest Medical Schools Founded to Improve Care for Underserved Patients - 10/03/2023

Texas’ three newest medical schools were founded with a mission to improve care for underserved patients, especially in East Texas.


TMA Wins Two More Surprise Billing Lawsuits; CMS Suspends Arbitrations - 10/03/2023

Marking a fourth victory for the Texas Medical Association in as many lawsuits, a court on Aug. 24 struck down a large portion of the regulations setting forth a methodology insurers use to calculate the qualifying payment amount, or QPA, used in surprise-billing disputes – part of a series of federal rules TMA has long argued skew the arbitration process in insurers’ favor.


Leading in Crisis: Diana L. Fite, MD, Carried TMA During COVID-19 Pandemic - 10/03/2023

Diana L. Fite, MD, carried TMA during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.


Putting the AI in Paid: Payer Use of Artificial Intelligence Sparks Physician Concerns - 10/02/2023

Physicians - worried about payers' increasing use of artificial intelligence to process prior authorization requests, enable value-based care models, and systematically deny coverage - are seeking transparency on behalf of their patients and practices.


Medicine Meets AI: Artificial Intelligence Has Potential in Patient Care - 09/29/2023

ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence platforms have potential in patient care, but that future is still a long way off.