Related Stories

Seeking Balance: TMA Opposes Feds' Implementation of the No Surprises Act - 04/09/2024

The Texas Medical Association supported the patient protections in the federal No Surprises Act but also knew from the beginning that the law's payment arbitration provisions were flawed and could give insurers an advantage.

RICO Settlements: TMA's Leadership Against Payer Abuses Resulted in Relief, Reform - 04/09/2024

Back in 2001, the Texas Medical Association and the other plaintiffs alleged the nation’s major health plans had conspired to delay and reduce payments to clinicians and hospitals; the resulting lawsuits, brought under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), represented a watershed moment in TMA history.

Exceptional Circumstances: TMA Advocates “Legislative Clarity” Amid State Abortion Bans - 03/05/2024

TMA advocates “legislative clarity” amid state abortion bans.

CMS Introduces Electronic Documentation Submission Tool - 01/02/2024

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has developed a free service to help physician practices of varying sizes and documentation workloads upload and submit medical documents, including prior authorization requests, electronically.

EHR Systems Must Give Practices Export Functionality - 12/13/2023

Practices and patients will be able to export electronic health information more easily thanks to a 21st Century Cures Act requirement that all certified electronic health records systems provide such functionality by Dec. 31.

Noncompete Concerns Spark Ongoing TMA Advocacy, Resources - 09/19/2023

The Texas Medical Association continues to receive reports of physician concerns over noncompete agreements, underscoring medicine’s ongoing legislative and regulatory advocacy efforts to strike a balance that works for physician employers and employed physicians alike.

EHR Data Entry – There’s a Better Way - 07/25/2023

Electronic Health Record (EHR) data entry is a part of the job, but for most physicians it’s a chore. Not only does it take time away from your patients, it adds to the hours you spend in the office (or to the work hours you spend at home). Fortunately, many physicians have found ways to save time doing data entry.

Use EHR to Improve Patients’ Vaccination Rates - 07/25/2023

If you are working to improve the vaccination rates among your patients, don’t underrate your electronic health record (EHR) as a tool.

Practice E-Tips on Legal Topics - 07/20/2023

TMA Practice E-Tips on Legal Topics

Fighting Back: Practice Wins Court Battle Over Defamatory Online Reviews - 06/20/2023

One practice’s recent legal battle epitomizes physicians’ worst nightmares when it comes to online reviews. Here’s an extreme but glaring real world example, straight from the documents in a lawsuit that Austin Eye first filed in October 2017 over

At Your Service: Practices focus on patient experience and convenience - 06/05/2023

Practices focus on patient experience and convenience to compete in an ever-changing medical landscape.

TMA Asks AMA to Stay Out of Affordable Care Act Suit - 05/02/2023

Leaders of the Texas Medical Association on Tuesday publicly objected to the American Medical Association’s plans to get involved in a high-profile federal lawsuit — filed in Texas — challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.

TMA Analyzes FTC Proposed Ban on Noncompetes - 03/09/2023

The interplay between federal and state efforts to ban noncompete agreements remains unclear as Texas Medical Association experts analyze a proposed Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rule on the matter.

QHINs Mark a Step Toward Interoperability - 03/07/2023

Physicians likely don’t need another acronym in their vocabulary, but “QHINs” bring some good news that translates to greater access to patient information.

How to Tell Patients About Your Online Practice Tools - 02/23/2023

When your practice adopts a new technology that directly involves patients, such as interactive online forms, a patient portal, or even a simple website, you need to tell patients about it and how using it will benefit them. Here are some suggestions for doing that.

Risk Management - 02/15/2023

Practice e-Tips on Risk Management

UPDATE: New Information-Blocking Requirements Take Effect Despite Medicine's Call for Delay - 10/12/2022

Since April 2021, federal rules requiring physicians to give patients prompt access to their electronic health information have been focused on a narrow subset of those data. Starting Oct. 6, the so-called information-blocking requirements are set to broaden that scope significantly.

These 10 Tips Will Help You Avoid EMR Liability Exposure - 10/10/2022

Follow these 10 tips for avoiding documentation pitfalls related to electronic medical records.

12 Ways an EMR Can Increase Productivity - 10/10/2022

How does adopting an electronic medical record (EMR) in your practice affect productivity?

Direct Messaging Can Help You Comply With Federal Information-Sharing Law - 09/08/2022

The 21st Century Cures Act requires physicians to be able to electronically share patient information with other physicians who request it. Direct messaging offers a secure, HIPAA-compliant method for sharing that information.

Get Ready for an EHR Upgrade by Dec. 31 to Comply With 21st Century Cures Act - 08/30/2022

Electronic health record vendors must conduct a major software upgrade by Dec. 31, and physician offices should be prepared.

Information Unblocked: Rules Requiring Docs to Give Patients Prompt Access to EHRs Prove Mostly Useful - 08/24/2022

The information blocking regulations stemming from the 21st Century Cures Act, which Congress passed in 2016, broaden patients' access to their electronic medical records and have proven mostly useful since taking effect in April 2021.

Pay Now or Pay Later? Supreme Court Adds Clarity Around Negligence Awards - 07/29/2022

Case by case, courts are clarifying a piece of Texas’ tort reform law that’s meant to keep physicians from paying part of a medical negligence award in one prohibitive and devastating gulp.

New Unscored MIPS Measure Can Help You Refine Your EHR Use - 07/13/2022

Even though it won’t affect your score for 2022, a new piece of this year’s Merit-Based Incentive-Payment System (MIPS) might be worth undertaking just the same – because it can help practices make sure they’re using their electronic health record (EHR) systems safely.

“Black Robes, Not White Coats”: Can Courts Compel Unproven Treatments? - 06/29/2022

COVID-19 patients and their families have involved judges and attorneys in an effort to compel physicians to treat the disease in unproven ways, against their medical judgment. And in some cases around the country, patients’ families have been successful in getting a court order to do so. The Texas Medical Association’s Committee on Patient-Physician Advocacy, while not directly involved in such cases, has a keen interest in making sure physicians can exercise their medical judgment.