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2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: Erosions to Medical Liability Reforms Fail - 09/15/2025

Medicine’s work this session to preserve Texas’ landmark medical liability reforms started and ended like legislative sessions past with a perennial attempt to index the landmark 2003 noneconomic damages cap to inflation. But that story had a twist this session in that the vehicle to do so, House Bill 4036, was pushed by a pair of Republicans alongside its typical Democrat contingency.  

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: Amid Bad Insurance Bills Defeated, Gold Card Law Refinements Close Gaps - 09/12/2025

House Bill 3812 addresses some of the shortfalls and inconsistencies among payers in the intended implementation of Texas’ landmark prior authorization exemption law. The law took effect Sept. 1 but additional rulemaking by the Texas Department of Insurance is likely.    

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: TMA Defeats Concerning Vaccine Bills For Second Session in a Row - 09/12/2025

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

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.  

‘This Is the Teach One’: Physician-Led CME Is Rooted in Relevance and Firsthand Experience - 09/10/2025

CME developed and transmitted by TMA undergoes a rigorous vetting process informed by physician input and expertise.

Personalized Pursuit: Word-of-Mouth Recruitment Plays Vital Role in How TMA Grows Membership - 09/10/2025

TMA launches new pilot program that focuses on member physicians recruiting colleagues to join the association.

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: Texas Medicaid Enrollment, Eligibility Systems Get Modernization Funding - 09/08/2025

The Texas legislature preserved Medicaid allotments that TMA advocated for in the 2023 session, while providing funding to support two important online systems.

Digital-Age Doctors: What the 21st Century Cures Act Has Done to Change Physician Practice - 09/08/2025

Texas physicians have become more cognizant of electronic health records and innovations in augmented intelligence since the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act.

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: Scope Creep Defense Preserves Physician-Led Care, Patient Safety - 09/04/2025

TMA's scope creep defense in the 2025 legislative session included an appeal to Gov. Abbott to veto a bill curtailing the Texas Medical Board.

Texas Medicine Magazine - 09/04/2025

Texas Medicine Magazine

Texas Medicine Back Issues - 09/03/2025

Back Issues

‘A United Force’: Physicians Answered the Call for Patients, Medicine This Legislative Session - 09/02/2025

The Texas Medical Association remained a powerful force to stand up for patients and the practice of medicine

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: Inside the Capitol – Lessons from the 89th Legislative Session - 09/02/2025

TMA Council on Legislation Chair Zeke Silva, MD, offers an inside look at what it was like to operate at the Capitol behind the scenes and on the stage during this year’s session.

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: TMA Deflects Onerous Reporting Regs for Independent Practices - 09/02/2025

Far-reaching health care consolidation legislation littered with unintended consequences and laden with potential financial and civil penalties for uncomplicated business transactions was defeated by TMA advocacy.

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: Life of the Mother Act Provides Clarity Around Medical Emergency Exception for Pregnant Patients - 09/02/2025

TMA was heavily involved in advocating and refining Senate Bill 31, the Life of the Mother Act, to bring much-needed clarity to physicians regarding the medical emergency exception to the state's abortion prohibition.

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: New Technology Laws Take Effect Sept. 1 - 09/02/2025

TMA took a physician-led approach this session to legislation related to health information technology, safeguarding medicine from would-be detriments, including unchecked use of artificial intelligence by payers and unintended consequences stemming from federal law.

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: Texas Physician Workforce Gets Budget Boost - 09/02/2025

Proven avenues to expand Texas’ physician workforce – via funding secured for undergraduate and graduate medical education (GME), loan repayment, and rural training programs, as well as supporting TMB’s efforts to process licenses for physicians moving to Texas from other

2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: TMA Helps Craft Balanced Noncompete Compromise - 09/02/2025

TMA helps strike a balance on noncompete agreements between employer and employee members that reconciles the priorities of each contingent without being overly restrictive to either.

Tailored Programming: Upcoming TMA conferences meet physicians where they practice - 09/01/2025

Texas Medical Association offers two upcoming conferences that members can attend - Business of Medicine Conference in El Paso in September and Local Medicine Matters in Tyler in October.

Joy in the House of Medicine: New TMAF President Clifford Moy, MD, Posits Participation as a ‘Real Feel-Good Moment for Physicians’ - 08/27/2025

Clifford Moy, MD, is the new president of the Texas Medical Association Foundation (TMAF).

Talk to Patients About: How Vaccines Work - 08/18/2025

Ignorance is a well-known cause of vaccine hesitancy. Physicians can step into that void to teach patients about what vaccines are and why they’re important. That includes information about the risks and benefits of vaccines, how quickly illnesses spread, and the symptoms and complications of natural infection.

Pinch Points: Health Care Isn’t Immune to a Tight Labor Market - 08/18/2025

Health care isn’t immune to a tight labor market, but employee retention efforts can help.

Talk to Patients About: Diphtheria - 08/18/2025

Most people know little about diphtheria today thanks to the effectiveness of its vaccine. But fear of this highly contagious bacterial infection – which chokes off patients’ ability to breathe –  was once so strong that it accidentally gave birth to a major sporting event: the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race.

Talk to Patients About: Hib - 08/18/2025

Despite its name, Haemophilus influenzae type b – or Hib – doesn’t cause influenza. In the 1890s, doctors thought this bacteria might cause flu and – despite later research showing flu is caused by a virus – the name stuck. But Hib does cause several severe illnesses, mostly among children under 5 years old. Meningitis is the most common.

Talk to Patients About: Tetanus - 08/13/2025

Almost all U.S. tetanus cases occur among people who are unvaccinated or did not receive a booster shot, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.