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Virtual Scribes Enhanced Relationships Between Patients and Physicians - 02/13/2024

At a time when physicians face burnout often due to administrative stress, two new studies from Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital found virtual scribes cut physician burden by 16% and enhanced relationships between patients and 60% of physicians.

“It’s Real. It Happens.” Panel Discusses How Shifting Values Can Shift Physicians Away From Burnout - 01/31/2024

By tuning in to personal convictions and values, physicians can improve relationships with their medical team, patients, and themselves. Given the increasing pressures on physicians, that shift is necessary and possible, medical leadership experts shared at TMA’s Leadership Summit. Read more.

CPAN CME Bolsters Phone Consult Service - 10/17/2023

As children continue to experience trauma due to COVID-19, the Child Psychiatry Access Network (CPAN) can help physicians address the consequences. Along with its phone consult service – which physicians can access any time – CPAN offers virtual CME on various issues physicians are likely to encounter when treating young patients.

988 Suicide Hotline Remains Unfamiliar One Year Post Launch - 09/08/2023

Suicide hotlines frequently are underused by those who need them most because people are simply unaware of them, says Austin obstetrician-gynecologist Kimberly Carter, MD.

Proposed Mental Health Payment Parity Rules Could Restrict Treatments, TMA Tells TDI - 09/06/2023

Proposed rules that would require insurers to cover mental health and substance use disorders at the same rate as other medical procedures could actually exclude or restrict all benefits for certain treatments.

Frontline Defender: Umar Latif, MD, Tackles Physicians' Moral Injury Plight - 08/05/2023

Frisco psychiatrist Umar Latif, MD, applies his expertise in suicide prevention and treatment among military personnel and veterans to another crisis on the home front: moral injury among physicians.

Walk-In Care: Walk With a Doc Texas Extends Physicians' Reach - 06/14/2023

Walk With a Doc is a nonprofit – founded in 2005 by Ohio cardiologist David Sabgir, MD – that encourages physical activity in people of all ages and that aims to reverse the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle. And it has proven to come with so many benefits to physicians themselves and to the patient-physician relationship.

TMB Named “Wellbeing First Champion” for Changed Approach to Behavioral Health - 06/05/2023

A national campaign dedicated to improving health and well-being among health care professionals recently recognized the Texas Medical Board (TMB) for its efforts to destigmatize physicians who seek help for behavioral health issues or other problems that might interfere with job performance.

A Light in Dark Times: TMA Adds Counseling Service to Resources - 04/03/2023

With new causes for burnout arising at every turn, TMA adds a new counseling service to its physician wellness resources to fill a rural gap.

TMA Adds New Counseling Service to Physician Wellness Resources - 03/01/2023

No single thing drives a physician to feel unwell. But physicians in smaller or rural counties may have nowhere to turn when burdens become too heavy. Freshly recommitted to its “Wellness First” mission, and with funding help from The Physicians Foundation, the Texas Medical Association has teamed up with the Texas-based counseling service Anticipate Joy to help.

CPAN Improves Access to Child Mental Health Care - 12/22/2022

Physicians are using the Child Psychiatry Access Network (CPAN) in steadily growing numbers, but many more can – and should – take advantage of this free behavioral health service, says Nhung Tran, MD, a developmental-behavioral pediatric specialist in Austin who serves as CPAN’s pediatric consultant and the Texas Pediatric Society’s liaison to CPAN.

Evidence-Based Strategies Key to Fighting Texas Suicide Rates - 11/29/2022

As 34.2% of adults in Texas report symptoms of anxiety and depression, Texas physicians are calling for the support and expansion of evidence-based strategies and telemedicine services to bolster mental health care across the state.

Physicians Serve as Lead Clinicians to Support Mental Health Intervention - 11/17/2022

The impact of adverse childhood events (ACEs) can be lasting and costly on patient health and medical outcomes. In the United States, more than 20% of adults report experiencing three ACEs during their youth, potentially increasing the risk of negative, chronic health consequences and challenges such as alcoholism, depression, unemployment, heart disease and substance abuse, among many others.

Behavioral Health, Suicide Prevention the Focus of TMA’s Next Distinguished Speaker Series - 11/15/2022

Join experts on Nov. 17 from noon to 1 pm to learn how to improve the behavioral health care systems that strengthen Texas communities and reduce suicide risk at the next Distinguished Speaker Series hosted by the Texas Medical Association and Texas Public Health Coalition (TPHC).

Suicide Risk in Kids With Adverse Childhood Experiences Exacerbated by Pandemic - 11/11/2022

Suicide and suicidal thoughts among high school students who have accumulated adverse childhood experiences became a concern among health care professionals before 2020. But the “social and educational disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated concerns about adolescents’ mental health and suicidal behavior,” according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mental Telehealth Paves the Way: Pandemic Flexibilities Expand Access to Care - 11/01/2022

Texas physicians say pandemic-era behavioral telehealth regulatory changes have already proven beneficial – and could be maximized with additional policy reforms, like payment parity for all telehealth visits; in the meantime, the gains of the past few years have forged a path toward future telehealth expansion beyond behavioral health.

Wellness First: TMA Recommits to Physicians' Well-being - 11/01/2022

The Texas Medical Association recently debuted its reimagined physician well-being support program, Wellness First, which works in tandem with organized medicine's advocacy at the state and federal levels to mitigate the underlying causes of burnout.

Screen Young People Aged 8-18 for Anxiety, USPSTF Recommends - 10/25/2022

The recent recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) that children and adolescents aged 8 to 18 years be screened for anxiety is likely to trigger family conversations about the topic and in turn, spur long-overdue treatment.

When Physicians Need Treatment, TMA’s PBF Wellness Fund Can Help - 09/23/2022

If COVID-19 or other conditions are affecting your well-being, the Texas Medical Association is here to help you seek assistance.

TMA Puts Physicians’ Wellness First With New Program - 09/21/2022

The demands of the pandemic have heightened a sense of urgency to support physicians' health and well-being. With that in mind, TMA launched it's Wellness First - Supporting Physicians Health campaign during Fall Conference. Check out the CME program line-up and register soon.

Pandemic Pressures:COVID-19 Poses Serious Behavioral Health Challenges - 09/20/2022

The mental health fallout caused by COVID-19 radiates throughout Texas. In this issue, we look at four of the biggest challenges physicians are responding to as more people say that worry and stress related to coronavirus have negatively impacted their mental health.

Learn the Warning Signs of Physician Suicide - 09/13/2022

This Saturday, Sept. 17, is National Physician Suicide Awareness Day, and with help from The Physicians Foundation and other organizations’ Vital Signs campaign, you can learn the warning signals to look for in a colleague who may be in mental distress.

Physician Wellness the Focus of TMA Fall Conference - 09/07/2022

A pandemic, vaccine hesitancy, economic pressures. With a focus on physician wellness, the Texas Medical Association’s 2022 Fall Conference Sept. 16-17 aims to help doctors cope with the confluence of these and other factors that continue to bear down on them and their practices.

National Suicide Hotline Changes to Simpler “988” Format - 07/15/2022

People coping with suicidal thoughts can now call 988, the new three-digit number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Senate Evaluates Post-Pandemic Strategies on Mental Health - 07/01/2022

In the face of “grim” research around the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on mental health, the Texas Medical Association is telling state lawmakers to respond with robust regulatory support of telehealth and investments to improve all Texans’ access to care.