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TMA Moment In Time: Pandemic Response - 04/09/2024

The strength of organized medicine carried TMA and Texas physicians through an unprecedented public health crisis and beyond.

Postpartum Coverage Extension Brings Payment Complexities - 04/05/2024

As the 12-month postpartum coverage Texas legislature approved took effect March 1, physicians and their practice staff should take note of subsequent payment complexities, Texas Medical Association experts caution.

New Law Prohibits Employer COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates, With Exceptions - 02/28/2024

Thanks to advocacy by the Texas Medical Association, guardrails for patient safety and practice viability are included in a new state law that prohibits employers, including physician offices and health care facilities, from mandating COVID-19 vaccines among employees.

New Poster Encourages Flu Vaccination Amid COVID-19 - 02/28/2024

“COVID-19 is here, but so is the flu.” That is the message of a new downloadable poster available from the Texas Medical Association’s Be Wise – Immunize program to help you stress the need for flu vaccination, this year more than ever.

May Owen, MD, Outreach Program - 02/23/2024

The May Owen, MD, Outreach Program is a grant program of the TMA Women Physicians Section (TMA WPS) that provides funding to bring female physician oriented programs and activities to small and mid-sized county medical societies.  

ACOG Toolkit Assists Maternal Care in Non-Obstetric Settings - 02/21/2024

In the wake of the startling statistic that 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable if treated properly, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has created an educational toolkit focused on educating physicians located in non-obstetric settings, such as emergency departments and trauma centers, who do not regularly deal with pregnant patients.

Medicaid, CHIP Postpartum Coverage Extension Will Take Effect March 1 - 02/08/2024

After a multi-session advocacy effort by the Texas Medical Association, specialty societies, and women’s health advocates, Texans who are enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program and who are pregnant or become pregnant will see their postpartum coverage automatically extended starting March 1.

On the Mend: Maternal Care Wins Encourage Better Outcomes in Texas - 11/05/2023

Twelve months of postpartum coverage and other maternal wins encourage physicians for better outcomes.

The Power of One Voice: Elisabeth Potter, MD's Advocacy Helped Upend CMS' Plan to End Certain Breast Surgery Coverage - 11/01/2023

Elisabeth Potter, MD’s spirited advocacy helped upend CMS’ plan to eliminate coverage for a preferred breast reconstruction surgery.

FDA Approves New RSV Vaccine, COVID-19 Booster - 10/19/2023

Physicians will have a new vaccine in their arsenal to help protect against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a timely development as cold, flu, and COVID-19 illnesses tend to converge and ramp up this time of year and become difficult to differentiate.

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.

Law Would Help Improve Data Collection on Maternal Deaths - 09/06/2023

A bill that became law in December is designed to help states fix some of their problems with collecting maternal death information. The Preventing Maternal Deaths Act of 2018 would help states and fund maternal mortality review committees that can evaluate, improve, and standardize maternal death data.

Urge Texans to Get Flu Vaccine Early, Officials Say - 09/06/2023

With flu season on the horizon – and the COVID-19 pandemic expected to continue – Texas physicians should strongly encourage patients to receive a flu vaccination as early as possible.

Talk to Patients About: Breakthrough Infections for COVID-19 Vaccinations - 09/06/2023

 The new mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 are highly effective at giving people immunity against the disease. But as with all other vaccines, that immunity is not 100% for everyone who receives them.  

Tune in Saturday to Watch TMA’s 155th President Take Office - 08/31/2023

Although TexMed 2020 has been canceled, and the Texas Medical Association House of Delegates meeting has been suspended, Diana L. Fite, MD, still will take office as TMA’s 155th president Saturday. Visit TMA’s Facebook page at noon Saturday to watch a live broadcast of her installation and address.

TMA Suspends 2020 House of Delegates Meeting - 08/31/2023

Because of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, the Texas Medical Association Board of Trustees has voted to suspend the 2020 TMA House of Delegates meeting, either virtual or in-person, until an appropriate time in the future when the crisis has subsided.

Report: Most Private Payers Have Stopped COVID Cost-Sharing Waivers - 08/21/2023

Private health insurance plans have largely stopped waiving patient cost-sharing for COVID-19 treatment, according to a recent report by the Peterson Center on Healthcare and Kaiser Family Foundation. The data represent an overwhelming shift from payer cost-sharing policies during 2020 as indicated by previous research.

Patient Care Protected: Women's Reproductive Health - 08/14/2023

One of the Texas Medical Association's top legislative priorities this session was to get clarity for physicians on how they can safely treat pregnant women while protecting the patient-physician relationship.

COVID-19: Telemedicine - 07/20/2023

View COVID-19 resources related to Telemedicine.

TMA Leaders Outline Initiatives to Protect Texas Mothers, Children - 07/17/2023

The Texas Medical Association will call on Texas lawmakers to support initiatives designed to improve maternal and children's health during this year's legislative session, according to the chairs of two TMA committees who spoke at Winter Conference in Austin on Saturday.

Texas Medicine Inbox: June 2017 - 07/17/2023

Inbox — June 2017 Tex Med. 2017 113(6) 6. I read with great interest the commentary, "Epidural Use Disparities by Spanish Speaking People in Labor," by Estevan A. Apodaca, MD, a family medicine resident,

Public Health Emergency’s End Would Kickstart Medicaid Eligibility Re-Checks. Here’s How to Prepare - 07/17/2023

After strong advocacy by the American Medical Association and other organizations, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services appears poised to extend the COVID-19 public health emergency for a 10th time.

UPDATE: Feds Poised to Extend COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Through Spring 2023 - 07/17/2023

After continued advocacy by the Texas Medical Association, American Medical Association, and other organizations, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services seems likely to extend the COVID-19 public health emergency  for an 11th time.

Novavax COVID Vaccine Available to Help Reach Patients Hesitant About mRNA Vaccines - 07/17/2023

The recently introduced COVID-19 vaccine Novavax gives physicians another tool for combating the disease, and it enjoys two important differences from previous vaccines that are potential advantages, says San Antonio infectious disease specialist Charles Lerner, MD, a member of the Texas Medical Association’s COVID-19 Task Force.

Physician-Led Results: Women’s Reproductive Health - 06/28/2023

Physicians entered the 2023 legislative session with heavy concerns over and difficulties in interpreting Texas' abortion statutes when caring for pregnant women in crisis. A last-minute bill signed by Gov. Greg Abbott now provides some legal defenses under Texas' abortion ban when treating certain potentially life-threatening pregnancy complications.