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New CDC Vaccination Schedule Raises Questions About Legal Risks - 03/04/2026

Updates as of this January show a decrease in recommended child and adult immunizations, which have sparked concerns about changes to informed consent and other potential liability.

‘Competitive’ Process to Determine Distribution of $1.4 Billion in Federal Rural Health Funding in Texas - 01/29/2026

Rural clinics, hospitals, and health centers are among those who may soon apply for a share of the money awarded to Texas to expand rural health care access through the Rural Texas Strong program. With application details still pending, TMA remains in communication with HHSC about this process.

TMA Grants to Help Your Practice Improve Local Vaccination Rates - 01/28/2026

Apply for a grant. Vaccines Defend What Matters (formerly Be Wise – Immunize) is TMA’s integrated, multimedia public health education and advocacy effort to overcome vaccine hesitancy and increase vaccination rates in Texas. 

Rural Ambulance Grant Program Provides $84 Million for Texas Counties - 01/21/2026

More than 40 counties have applied for funding for rural-serving ambulances as of this writing. The funding, made possible by a 2025 bill, could assist the state’s largest county as it faces replacing a four-year EMS partner.

Rural-Access Solution Goes Before Senate Committee - 01/16/2026

The culmination of many months and meetings, TMA-backed Senate Bill 2695 was unveiled to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, opening a new pipeline for rural access to care while preserving Texas’ physician-led care model.

Community Support: Texas Aims to Use Federal Funding to Address Rural Health Care Challenges - 01/05/2026

Texas aims to use federal funding to address rural health care challenges.

Budget Crunch: Uncertainty Besets Texas’ Public Health Infrastructure as Federal Funding Streams Dry Up - 12/24/2025

Federal budget cuts from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and other federal actions could hinder public health initiatives in Texas in 2026.

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: TMA Defeats Concerning Vaccine Bills For Second Session in a Row - 12/08/2025

Two bills that did survive will took effect Sept. 1, one of which imposes a specific informed consent form on physicians.

One Physician’s 50-Year Journey to Make Sure Empathy is a Part of Patient Care - 12/04/2025

Fazlur Rahman, MD, made San Angelo his home more than a half-century ago. Over that time, he’s made it his mission to stress how bedside compassion is just as important as science in caring for patients.

Texas in the Running for Federal Rural Health Care Funding - 11/25/2025

The state’s “Rural Texas Strong: Supporting Health and Wellness” proposal requests $1 billion over five years for wide-ranging improvement programs reaching each of Texas’ 202 rural counties. With some of medicine’s ideas incorporated, TMA is cautiously analyzing the proposal’s potential to support rural physicians.

Covering Distances: Physicians, Lawmakers, Med Schools Look to Improve Rural Patient Access to Care - 11/07/2025

Texas legislators are taking notice of the dearth of physician care in rural counties with solutions, medical schools are gaining ground with successful rural-specific training tracks, with TMA all the while pushing for further steps to assuage rural health care shortages in Texas.

Texas to Seek Federal Rural Health Care Funding with TMA Support - 10/13/2025

The Rural Health Transformation Fund, established under the federal budget bill, makes available a total of $50 billion to states over five years. Of that amount, $25 billion will be distributed equally among approved states, and the remaining half allocated based on grant applications and a priority weighting system.

Talk to Patients About: Vaccines During Pregnancy - 09/11/2025

Protecting moms and babies from certain diseases often starts with pregnant women. Child-bearing women may not realize they pass on disease-fighting antibodies to their babies, protecting them early in life. That protection improves greatly when women get certain vaccines before and during pregnancy. They also may not realize getting vaccinated right after pregnancy can stop the spread of illnesses.  

Alison Days, MD: “We Can’t Go Back” to COVID’s Worst Days - 08/05/2025

Even as much of the crippling fear from the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic has faded, its impact persists on El Paso pediatrician Alison Days, MD, her city, her county, and her day-to-day. After the pandemic kicked into gear during early 2020, Dr. Days and her staff at Healthy Days Pediatrics started eating lunch apart from each other. With the virus now less of a terrifying mystery, her staff have gone back to keeping each other company at lunchtime. She still hasn’t.

FDA Proposes Transition Plan for Medical Devices Granted COVID Emergency Approval - 08/04/2025

The COVID-19 public health emergency is expected to be extended a ninth time, through at least mid-July. But its eventual end raises questions about the medical devices and therapies used to diagnose and treat COVID that were issued emergency use authorizations on the basis of the federal emergency declaration.

Texas Physicians Reflect on Two Years of Battling COVID-19 - 08/04/2025

Two years ago this week, normal life in Texas stopped. Uncertainty, fear, and anxiety loomed as the new coronavirus, SARS CoV-2, arrived in Texas. Looking back, physicians reflect on the ongoing impact of March 13, 2020, when Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19, the disease the virus causes.

Cardiologist Experiences COVID – and Its Ripple Effects - 07/23/2025

Dallas cardiologist Rick Snyder, MD, had already witnessed firsthand many of the big-picture impacts of COVID-19: cases of long COVID, elements of the “Great Resignation,” and of course, the chaos the pandemic brought to just about every medical practice starting two years ago.

What’s Better, Immunity From a Shot, or From the Disease? - 07/21/2025

Although suffering through a disease sometimes gives you immunity from catching that same disease later in life, vaccinating against diseases instead is the safest way to protect yourself and your loved ones.

Texas Physicians Explain Herd Immunity Needed to Fight Contagious-Disease Hotspots - 07/21/2025

A community with enough vaccinated people can protect each other from the spread of contagious disease. Herd immunity – also known as community immunity – protects those who are not immune and those who cannot or choose not to get vaccinated.

TMA Grants Build Community Connections for Underserved Patients - 06/24/2025

Applications are open through Aug. 22 for Vaccines Defend What Matters local impact grants. The $3,500 grants, funded by the TMA Foundation, can be used to vaccinate underserved and uninsured populations and toward outreach initiatives that address vaccine hesitancy. Read more.

Apply for Local Impact Grants to Provide Free Immunizations in Your Community - 05/15/2025

Applications are open for TMA Foundation grants of up to $3,500 to support vaccine provision and education. The deadline to apply for the current cycle of grants is May 23, and the funds can be put to use in a variety of ways to serve your community.  

Talk to Patients About: Measles - 02/24/2025

Few Americans today remember when measles was deadly. But before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, the disease killed about 2.6 million globally each year. By 2016, vaccination programs cut that number to about 89,000.

Safely Incorporate Remote Patient Monitoring Into Your Practice - 02/07/2025

If you’re considering using telemedicine or remote patient monitoring, the Texas Medical Liability Trust’s (TMLT) Risk Management team has some recommendations to protect you and your practice.

Are You Ready for Telemedicine Prime Time? - 02/07/2025

Like a stage actor who comes across awkward on a television or movie screen, you might find it challenging to connect with your patients during video telehealth visits. Here are some tips to make for five-star video telehealth visit.

Let Your Patients Know You Use Telemedicine - 02/07/2025

To make telemedicine more available, many state and federal rules and regulations regarding telehealth have changed temporarily during the COVID-19 public health emergency, including payments for certain types of visits. That’s all good news if you or your practice is struggling financially because of decreased in-person patient visits. But it doesn’t mean much if your patients don’t know about it.