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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.

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.

Deadline: TMA Scholarship Fosters Diversity in Medicine - 02/27/2024

As Match Day nears, so does the deadline to apply for a Texas Medical Association scholarship helping to ensure the physician workforce more closely mirrors the population it serves.

A Helping Hand for Future Physicians: The Diversity in Medicine Scholarship - 12/19/2023

Medical school can be an expensive undertaking. The Diversity in Medicine Scholarship aims to make pursuing this noble profession more accessible.

Corpus Hospital Revives Emergency Medicine Residency Program - 12/15/2023

Following a grassroots advocacy effort by local physicians, CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital in Corpus Christi recently reversed its plan to close the CHRISTUS Health-Texas A&M Spohn Hospital Emergency Medicine Residency program in 2026. The program will continue at least through 2029 thanks to funding from the Nueces County Hospital District.

Corpus Hospital Closes ER Residency - 10/24/2023

Christus Spohn Hospital recently announced its plan to close its emergency medicine residency program in June 2026. This came as a shock to the medical community. The statement from Christus cited consideration of the availability of resources as the reason for the unexpected closure. Read the op-ed.

Unlocking Doors: Diversity in Medicine Scholarship Program Connects Students with Mentors - 10/21/2023

When the Texas Medical Association founded its Diversity in Medicine Scholarship Program in 1998 to diversify the physician workforce, Dr. Ramamurthy became both a contributor and a mentor to students who receive the scholarships. “When you’re mentoring students, one of the things that you want them to understand is that you’re somebody they can talk to who is not only there as a teacher, but as a friend,” she said. Other top donors to the Diversity in Medicine Scholarship serve voluntarily as mentors to student awardees. TMA encourages those arrangements because they can benefit both parties.

Inspiring Choices: Mentorship Can Boost African-American Representation in Medicine - 10/20/2023

African Americans are underrepresented in medicine. Mentorship can help them choose medical careers.

Fulfilling a Dream - 10/20/2023

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine has largely dispensed with lectures and focuses more on group learning and practical experience. This and other innovations dovetail with the school's focus on public health, which is vital in a region notorious for high poverty and chronic health problems.

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.

Rotations, Residency Applications, Testing Fees? TMA Low-Interest Loans Can Help - 10/03/2023

As a medical student, Zachary Hamilton, MD, had no idea how he was going to pay for his fourth-year residency applications and travel expenses to interviews. Then he heard about and applied for a TMA low-interest educational loan.

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.

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.

COVID-19: Telemedicine - 07/20/2023

View COVID-19 resources related to Telemedicine.

Furthering Medical Education in Texas - 07/17/2023

Medical education in Texas is moving in the right direction. The Texas Medical Association has been a major partner in advancing medical education initiatives. This special symposium issue on medical education examines residency training costs, the Next Accreditation System, graduate medical education in rural Texas, Texas' physician workforce needs, the current state of education reform, and efforts to retain medical graduates in Texas.

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.

PHE End Brings Changes for Telehealth, Billing, and Medicaid - 06/26/2023

The federal public health emergency related to COVID-19 will end May 11 – and with it, several flexibilities related to telehealth coverage, virtual physician supervision of nonphysician practitioners, and Medicaid enrollment for nearly 3 million Texans.

House of Delegates Tackles Health Care Workforce Shortages - 05/25/2023

As Texas continues to face health care workforce shortages, particularly in rural areas, the Texas Medical Association House of Delegates responded to those concerns with new policies aimed at bolstering the ranks of medical students, residents, physicians, and bedside nurses at its annual TexMed conference last week.