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Policies, Procedures and Forms for Telemedicine Services - 09/17/2024

Use these policies, procedures and forms for telemedicine services in your practice.

Talk to Patients About: Breakthrough Infections for COVID-19 Vaccinations - 09/13/2024

 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.  

CMS Ups Seasonal Flu Vaccine Payment - 09/09/2024

On Aug. 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services increased payments to physicians for influenza vaccines and updated which codes physicians should use when billing for the service during the 2024-25 flu season.

Beryl-Affected Practices Automatically Eligible for MIPS Hardship Exemption - 08/19/2024

Due to the impact of Hurricane Beryl on Texas physician practices, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has automatically applied a hardship exemption within the 2024 Merit-Based Incentive Payment System performance period to eligible clinicians in “designated” areas.

2023 MIPS Scores, Feedback Now Available - 08/16/2024

With feedback and final scores for the 2023 performance year of Medicare’s Merit-Based Incentive Payment System now available online, Texas Medical Association experts urge physicians to check their scores soon as they will impact 2025 payment.

Medicine Urges 4 Steps to Reform Medicare Pay - 08/13/2024

In the face of an increasingly unsustainable Medicare physician payment system, hundreds of state and national medical associations collectively exhorted congressional leaders to adopt a four-point reform plan they say can “no longer be delayed without severe repercussions for patient access and quality of care.”

Long COVID Definition Created to Help Physicians, Patients - 08/01/2024

To better understand and manage “long COVID”, physicians must first be able to define the condition – so far impossible with no set parameters or qualifications. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently moved to rectify that problem as a committee of experts created a consensus definition.

Medicare Proposes Yet Another Physician Pay Cut in 2025 - 07/31/2024

In yet another destabilizing move for physician practices, Medicare on July 10 proposed what amounts to another pay cut for the nation’s physicians in the face of increasing costs, positioning organized medicine for heightened advocacy.

Medicare Premiums, Deductibles to Increase in 2024 - 07/29/2024

Medicare patients will be paying more for their coverage in 2024, which will impact how much co-pay practices collect.

New Poster Encourages Flu Vaccination Amid COVID-19 - 07/22/2024

“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.

Valuable Screentime: Telemedicine Paves the Way for Increased Access - 05/06/2024

Telemedicine paves the way for increased health care access.

Innovation for Every Age: Texas Primary Care Physicians Improve Access for Older Patients - 05/06/2024

Texas' population is aging, highlighting the importance of access to high-quality, coordinated primary care that bridges complex systems, various clinicians, and concurrent chronic conditions.

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.

Medicare May Seek Payment Recoupment for 2023 Claims - 04/09/2024

A new report by the Government Accountability Office shows physicians may face possible recoupments – or additional payment – for claims filed in 2023 as a result of over and underpayments by Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal programs.

MedPAC Backs Medicare Physician Payment Increase – Again - 03/26/2024

Echoing advocacy by the Texas Medical Association and others in organized medicine, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recently reupped its recommendation that Congress increase Medicare physician payment by tying such payment to inflation, among other factors.

Congress Mitigates 2024 Medicare Physician Pay Cut - 03/21/2024

Congress recently passed legislation halving the 3.4% Medicare physician pay cut that took effect on Jan. 1, 2024, following a months-long, high-pressure advocacy campaign by the Texas Medical Association, the American Medical Association, and others in organized medicine. But TMA and its allies continue to push for additional reform given that any cut threatens physicians’ practice viability and vulnerable patients’ access to care.

Cyberattack Prompts CMS to Extend 2023 MIPS Flexibilities - 03/19/2024

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently announced two flexibilities related to Medicare’s Merit-Based Incentive Payment System 2023 performance year, citing the recent cyberattack on Change Healthcare and heeding advocacy by organized medicine.

HHS Removes Home Address Telemedicine Requirement After TMA’s Urging - 03/18/2024

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services will allow for the submission of a post office box or personal mailbox, offered by a private delivery service as a practice location address, when a physician does not have a physical location other than their home address, heeding the Texas Medical Association’s call.

Medicare Sunsets Beleaguered Appropriate Use Criteria Program - 03/14/2024

After longstanding opposition from the Texas Medical Association and others, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services finally nixed the appropriate use criteria program for advanced diagnostic services as part of the 2024 Medicare physician fee schedule.

Feds’ Response to Cyberattack Aids Physicians, But Further Measures Needed - 03/14/2024

Eligible physician practices and others impacted by the recent cyberattack on Change Healthcare now may apply for accelerated and advanced payments for certain Medicare and Medicaid claims.

Medicare to Debut “Stay of Enrollment” Status for Physicians, Others - 03/13/2024

Medicare soon will introduce a “stay of enrollment” status for physicians and others enrolled in the federal program, despite pushback from the Texas Medical Association.

Physicians May Face Lower Payment as CMS Resumes Lab Data Collection - 03/11/2024

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will continue to collect data from physician-owned laboratories to inform private payer rates despite pushback from the Texas Medical Association.

Middle Ground: Medicare Offers Options Amid Shift to Value-Based Care - 03/05/2024

Physicians are divided on the issue of value-based care, but, with Medicare forging ahead, the Texas Medical Association is focused on monitoring the development of alternative payment models, educating members about their options, and advocating for physician protections.

Medicine’s MIPS Win: 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Stabilizes Program - 03/05/2024

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services yielded to the Texas Medical Association’s concerns about its proposal and the impact of constant changes to MIPS on its participants.

Telemedicine Flexibilities Preserved in Medicare Fee Schedule - 03/05/2024

The 2024 Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) extended several pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities, many of which impact physicians who treat rural patients and those with behavioral health needs.