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Sickle Cell Disease Care Targeted in State, Federal Efforts - 12/06/2023

Physicians could see improvements in their ability to care for patients with sickle cell disease as moves by the state and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services aim to standardize and improve treatment for the disease and expand access to care.


Legislative Hotline March 4, 2021: TMA Opposes End-of-Life Care Bill That Poses Threat to “Do No Harm” - 07/17/2023

The Texas Medical Association is once again working to stop legislative attacks on a physician’s sacred creed to “do no harm,” which includes taking care of patients in their last days.


State Working to Clear Confusion with TxEVER - 07/17/2023

Although an official with the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) last week said the new TxEVER system should be operating smoothly, the agency on Friday acknowledged some of the difficulties physicians are experiencing.


TMB Won’t Penalize Physicians For Technical Problems With Vital Registry - 07/17/2023

The Texas Medical Board confirmed Saturday that it will not take action against physicians who experience technical issues with Texas’ new vital statistics registry, TxEVER.


Medicare Pays for End-of-Life Consults - 07/17/2023

As of January, Medicare pays physicians for advance care planning as a separate service, a long-sought victory that promotes educating patients and physicians on the issue. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services created two new payment codes that cover it as a separate service in physician practices and facilities, including hospitals.


Rotavirus Causes Severe Diarrhea in Kids - 06/29/2023

Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe diarrhea in infants and young children worldwide, especially in children under 2 years of age. The highly contagious illness is most common in the winter and spring months.


Vaccination Still Needed to Keep Frightful Polio Away - 06/28/2023

The bottom line: Polio, a disease that once terrified Americans, is a vaccine success story. Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a crippling and potentially deadly disease caused by a virus. Even though polio cases are rare, parents need to be vigilant about vaccinating their kids to keep it from returning to the United States.


Doctors Say Vaccinations Key to Preventing a Deadly Flu Season - 06/28/2023

Look out: Here comes flu season. Even though the flu is an annual occurrence, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) branded the 2017-18 flu season as one of the worst in recent years.


Reporting Redesign: Disease Surveillance Relies on Physicians - 06/05/2023

Infectious disease reporting relies on close ties between physicians and local public health entities, especially as COVID surveillance relaxes.


A Chance to Live Better: Integrating Palliative and Supportive Care - 05/16/2023

Commentary — December 2017 Tex Med. 2017 113(12) 13–14. By Gerard J. Voorhees, MD Let's face it When our patients are not responding to curative treatment or are nearing the end


Challenge of a Lifetime: Jennifer Shuford, MD, Helped Lead Texas Through the COVID-19 Pandemic - 01/17/2023

Chief State Epidemiologist Jennifer Shuford, MD, found innovative ways to lead Texas through the COVID-19 emergency.


OIG: Physicians Incorrectly Billing for End-of-Life Care Planning - 01/05/2023

Advance care planning (ACP) services were meant to give patients the opportunity to choose the care that is right for them at the end of their lives or during medical crises that could render them unable to make personal health decisions.


The Down and Dirty on Wastewater Surveillance: COVID-19 Gives it a Boost - 12/04/2022

Wastewater epidemiology has been around for about two decades, but it didn't really take off in Texas until COVID-19 came along.


Talk to Patients About: The New York Polio Outbreak - 11/02/2022

A recent polio outbreak in New York state highlights the importance of vaccination.


Making a Comeback: Texas Leads the Nation in Congenital Syphilis - 07/29/2022

Texas leads the nation in congenital syphilis cases, and physicians are key to bringing both syphilis and congenital syphilis under control again.


Voice of Reason: TMA’s Board of Councilors Tackles Ethical Policymaking - 06/08/2022

Established in 1903, the Board of Councilors renders and updates opinions on matters of medical ethics, from abortion and medical use of cannabis to physician-assisted suicide and restrictive covenants, among other responsibilities.


COVID Relief Fund Offers Extension for Late Reports - 04/21/2022

Physicians who received money from the federal COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund and missed the first two reporting deadlines now have until April 22 to request to report late, thanks to an extension by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration.


Talk to Patients About: COVID-19 Variants - 03/31/2022

Alpha. Delta. Epsilon. Omicron. These and other variants of COVID-19 have made their way through the U.S. and Texas. Help patients understand what variants are and why they're important.


Advance Directives Act: Directive to Physicians - 03/22/2022

The Texas Health and Safety Code authorizes the use of a written Directive to Physicians in accordance with these guidelines.


Report: High Alzheimer’s Prevalence Among Texas Blacks, Latinos - 08/10/2021

Texas is home to 13 of the 41 U.S. congressional districts with the highest prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias among Blacks and Latinos in the Medicare fee-for-service program. That’s according to a report by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, a group dedicated to improving treatment for that disease.


Hospital Asks for Expedited Trial in Fort Worth Life-Sustaining Treatment Case - 04/30/2021

Believing that court-mandated, life-sustaining treatment is causing harm to a child in its care, Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth is attempting to resolve a highly publicized court case as quickly as possible.


House Passes Measure to Prevent Medical Billing Tax - 04/07/2021

Thanks to tireless work from a physician-legislator, the house of medicine took a huge step Tuesday toward preventing a planned tax on medical billing services that would take money out of patients’ and physicians’ pockets.


Wrong Directive: Legal Shifts on End-of-Life Care Concern Physicians - 02/27/2021

Challenges to Texas laws governing end-of-life care, whether through legislative rewrites or judicial override, are nothing new. The recent success of those challenges is. In particular, two recent erosions have physicians like Houston palliative care specialist Mark Casanova, MD, chagrined and concerned about the future of doctors’ role in end-of-life treatment.


Defend Patient Decisions at the End of Life - 02/11/2021

Perhaps no decision we make is more personal, difficult, or profound as choosing how we wish to spend our final days, and it’s one physicians encourage patients to make long before the need arises.


Death Certificate Problems Being Addressed, State Says - 03/06/2019

State health officials say they are continuing to address problems and long wait times associated with the rollout of the new TxEVER system for registering death and birth certificates. On Monday, DSHS officials told the Texas Medical Association that they significantly reduced wait times by shifting staff from other departments to handle customer service phone lines.