Articles and Papers on Legal Issues

The following articles and white papers are a TMA members-only benefit.   

• Abortion
• Americans with Disabilities Act 
• Advertising
• Charity Health Care 
• Compassionate Use Act  
• Consent
• Corporate Practice of Medicine
• COVID-19
• DEA
• Delegation of Duties
• Departure of a Physician
• Disruptive Behavior 
• Emergencies, Death Act and DNR
• Handguns
• Insurance
• Licensing
• Limited English Proficiency  
• Maintenance of Certification
• Medical Power of Attorney
• Medical Records
• Physician-Patient Relationship  
• Required Notices
• Stark Law
• Surprise Billing
• Telemedicine
• Vaccines
• Women's Health

Abortion

• Senate Bill 4: Additional Requirements for Reporting Abortion Related Complications and Drug-Induced Abortions (January 2022)

Americans with Disabilities Act

• Americans With Disabilites Act and the Hearing Impaired  (Dec. 2018)  

Advertising

• Advertising: The Regulation of Physician Advertising  (Nov. 2016) 

Charity Health Care

• Limiting Liability for Providing Charity Health Care  
• Texas Charitable Immunity Act  (July 2014)

Compassionate Use Act

• Expanding Texas’s Compassionate Use Act – 87th Regular Texas Legislative Session Update (Dec. 2021)

Consent

• Consent for Treatment of Minors  (Nov. 2019) 
• Informed Consent  (Apr. 2018)  

Corporate Practice of Medicine

• Corporate Practice of Medicine  (Sept. 2016) 

COVID-19

•  Senate Bill 968: Prohibition on COVID-19 Vaccine Passport (Oct. 2021)

DEA

• DEA Investigations  (Mar. 2017) 

Delegation of Duties

• Delegation of Duties by a Physician  (Feb. 2017) 

Departure of a Physician

• Notice to Patients on the Departure of a Physician  (July 2020) 

Disruptive Behavior

• Disruptive Behavior and Behavior That Undermines a Culture of Safety  (Sept. 2017) 

 Emergencies, Death Act and DNR

• Death Act: Directive to Physicians (Jan. 2019) 
• DNR Orders (in-facility) – Senate Bill 11 (2017)  (April 2018) 
• Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA)  (June 2007) 
• Expansion of the Good Samaritan Law During a Disaster (Aug. 2019) 

Handguns

• Prohibiting Concealed or Open Carry of Handguns on Private Property (Aug. 2021)

Insurance

• TMA Frequently Asked Questions on Texas’ “Gold-Carding” Preauthorization Exemption Law and Rules (Oct. 2022)
• Payment for Patients Dually-Eligible for Medicare and Medicaid  (Jan. 2013) 
• Physician Prices, Fee Schedules, and Managed Care Contract Offer and Acceptance  (Sept. 2011)

Licensing

• The Doctor Act, House Bill 2038

Limited English Proficiency 

• Accommodation of Persons With Limited English Proficiency  (Sept. 2021) 

Maintenance of Certification

• Maintenance of Certification  (Jan. 2018) 

Medical Power of Attorney 

• Medical Power of Attorney  (Dec. 2018) 

Medical Records

• 21st Century Cures Act (Mar. 2021)
• Fees for Copies of Medical Records (Jan. 2022)
• Patient Access and Consent to the Release of Medical Records (Aug. 2021)
• Retention of Medical Records  (Aug. 2017) 

Physician-Patient Relationship

• Creation of the Physician-Patient Relationship  (July 2026)    
• Sample Letter: Terminating Physician-Patient Relations  
• Termination of the Physician-Patient Relationship  (Sept. 2017) 

Required Notices

•  Required Notices (Feb. 2022)

Stark Law

• Stark Self-Referral Laws and Regulations   

Surprise Billing

• Resources Concerning the No Surprises Act
• SB 1264 and Out-of-Network Claims: Texas Arbitration Process

Telemedicine

• Texas Laws and Regulations Relating to Telemedicine (Apr. 2018)

Vaccines

• House Bill 44 Prohibits Refusing Health Care Services to Unvaccinated Medicaid or CHIP Patients (August 2023)
•  The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program   

Women's Health

• Limitations on Certain Pelvic Exams:  House Bill 1434 (87R) (Dec. 2021)

TMA Practice e-Tips on Legal Issues

NOTICE: The Office of the General Counsel provides legal representation for TMA in its activities and assists county medical societies physicians and their attorneys and the public with questions regarding medical law. The Office of the General Counsel of the Texas Medical Association provides this information with the express understanding that 1) no attorney-client relationship exists, 2) neither TMA nor its attorneys are engaged in providing legal advice and 3) that the information is of a general character. You should not rely on this information when dealing with personal legal matters; rather legal advice from retained legal counsel should be sought.