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Did You Receive an Email Requiring Registration to the State’s PMP? - 02/28/2024

TMA can confirm that an email sent Friday afternoon asking physicians to register for a PMP Aware account are indeed legitimate; however, there is no deadline to register.


Cannabidiol Takes a Big Step Toward Respectability - 01/25/2024

In September, the DEA issued an order listing all drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that contain cannabidiol but no more than 0.1 percent of the chief psychoactive agent in cannabis as Schedule V drugs — those with the least potential for abuse. So far, Epidiolex is the only medication that fits that description.


Here’s Everything You Need to Spread the Word About Flu Vaccines - 09/06/2023

Today is Texas Influenza Awareness Day, which the Texas Department of State Health Services designated to stress the importance of every Texan over 6 months old receiving a seasonal flu vaccine. The Texas Medical Association’s Be Wise – Immunize program has created several tools and resources you can use to get the word out today and throughout flu season.


Here’s What Medicare Pays for Flu Shots This Season - 08/23/2023

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently published 2019-20 payment rates for personal flu vaccines and their administration. The effective dates for these rates are Aug. 1, 2019, to July 31, 2020.


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.


Medicare Part B Inflation Rebate Takes Effect, Lowering Copays - 06/27/2023

A new federal law requires drug companies to rebate Medicare if they raise certain drug prices higher than the rate of inflation, which has translated into lower copays for some Medicare patients.


Pharmacy Rule Opens Door to Improve Access to Low-Cost Medications - 02/06/2023

Given the high cost of medications, pharmacies should be sharing low-cost options with patients and allowing them to transfer their prescriptions as needed – without imposing additional administrative hassles on physician practices.


Counterfeit Medications Proliferate in Patient Care – and They’re Not Just Illicit Opioids - 01/31/2023

Counterfeit medications are a growing problem that can undermine medical treatment, and all physicians can help prevent their spread by asking patients simple questions.


Flu, RSV Outbreaks Worsen as “Tripledemic” Threatens - 12/02/2022

Texas Medicine Today recently reported that influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and other respiratory ailments are poised to overwhelm hospitals and clinics. The big question then was, would this problem get worse?


Take 15 Seconds to Encourage Flu Vaccinations - 11/11/2022

What if 15 seconds was all it took to educate and encourage your patients about getting their flu shots? TMA has added two new 15-second videos to its Vaccines Defend What Matters (VDWM) resources to help.


Nationwide Adderall Shortage Expected to Last Through 2022 - 10/31/2022

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expects a nationwide shortage of Adderall and Adderall IR to extend through the end of the year, following manufacturing delays by the largest producer of Adderall in the country, Teva Pharmaceuticals LLC.


Are You Ready for Changes to Opioid Prescribing in Texas? - 10/14/2022

Beginning Sept. 1, all prescribers will be required to set up an account with the state’s prescription monitoring program, known as PMP Aware. The Texas State Board of Pharmacy will also begin issuing new official prescription forms that include advanced security features designed to help deter fraud.


Upcoming Flu Season, Vaccine Hesitancy Could Intensify as Side Effects of Pandemic - 09/27/2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has shaped recent flu seasons, and there’s reason to believe this trend will continue.


Expect a More Serious Flu Season – and Test Accordingly, DSHS Says - 04/05/2022

In 2021, precautions that people took against COVID-19 – like masking and social distancing – helped create an unusually light flu season, says Jennifer Shuford, MD, chief state epidemiologist at the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). In 2022, Texas probably will not be as lucky.


Avoid the Yuletide Flu Tide: Emphasize Flu Shots With Your Patients - 11/30/2021

The last influenza season may have been light, but don’t let that prompt you to take this season lightly when consulting with your patients about flu shots.


Remind Families to Vaccinate Against Pertussis, Flu as Holidays Approach - 11/16/2021

As families reunite this holiday season, perhaps for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Texas Medical Association leaders say it’s time to remind them that infants need protection, too, from a public health threat that long predates the coronavirus: pertussis, or whooping cough.


ACIP Flu Guidelines: Vaccinate Young Children as Soon as Possible - 09/21/2021

When it comes to preventing influenza, particularly in the middle of a pandemic, the key takeaway among this year’s recommendations from the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) involves vaccines and timing, says Alan Howell, MD, an infectious disease specialist in Temple and a member of the Texas Medical Association’s Committee on Infectious Diseases.


Biden Executive Order Likely to Prompt Rulemaking on Noncompetes - 07/19/2021

Directly and indirectly, the Biden administration’s wide-ranging Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy features myriad implications for health care and physician practices. The executive order, issued earlier this month, takes aim at hospital and insurance market consolidation, noncompete agreements, lack of competition among drug manufacturers, and exorbitant costs of prescription drugs and hearing aids.


Pharmacy Board Limits Chloroquine Prescriptions - 08/05/2020

Per the National Institutes of Health (NIH) COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines, which cites insufficient clinical data, the Texas Medical Association COVID-19 Task Force recommends against using chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19, “except in a clinical trial.”


PMP Checks Won’t Be Necessary for In-Facility Medications, TMB Says - 02/21/2020

Thanks to Texas Medical Association advocacy, the Texas Medical Boardhas refocused its guidance on when physicians will be required to check the Texas Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) before prescribing certain medications starting March 1.


Continue to Watch for Coronavirus, Health Officials Say - 02/03/2020

Although no cases of the new coronavirus that originated in China have been confirmed in Texas, physicians are urged to use precaution with patients who have a fever and/or symptoms of lower respiratory illness, U.S. health officials said Friday.


TMA Urges Public Education As Hemp-Based Products Become Legal - 10/16/2019

State health officials should take steps to ensure that a new law that legalizes the production and sale of hemp and some hemp products helps Texas physicians protect the health of patients who use those products. The Texas Medical Association sent that message in a letter last week to the Department of State Health Services, which was taking comments related to implementation of House Bill 1325.


$18 Million Grants to Help Texas Fight Opioid Abuse - 08/12/2019

More than 70 Texas health institutions have received almost $18 million in federal funds to combat the ongoing nationwide opioid epidemic.


TMA Pushing To Delay PMP Mandate, Buy Time for Integration With EHRs - 06/19/2019

Starting Sept. 1, physicians will be required to check the PMP before issuing any prescription for opioids, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, or carisoprodol, a mandate the Texas Legislature passed during the 2017 session. As this year’s session of the legislature enters its back stretch, TMA is hoping to persuade lawmakers to delay that mandate until March 2020 to allow for a widespread rollout of PMP-EHR integration.


Keep Your Patients and Practice Safe from Opioid Prescription Fraud - 06/19/2019

If you prescribe opioids, it’s important to protect your practice and your patients from fraud and substance-use disorder. One way to ensure that patients accurately follow your prescription is to have them sign an informed consent and opioid treatment agreement.