Physicians attending this year’s TexMed conference will have more time to pursue education and networking opportunities, thanks to a new approach implemented by the Texas Medical Association Board of Trustees and staff.
At past TexMed events, physicians expressed concern that the number of business meetings held concurrently with the House of Delegates and CME sessions had hindered them from taking full advantage of the conference. Starting with this year’s annual meeting, and going forward, business meetings will be held only during designated windows of time, reserving more time for other conference activities.
“The Board is listening and adjusting TexMed to ensure that we are meeting the needs of the membership,” said Sam Mathis, MD, a member of the TMA Board. “This change in structure provides more opportunities. Business meetings are scheduled at certain points of the day. We want people to be engaged, but not have somebody be so busy with business meetings that they never get a chance to learn something, or to interact at the expo hall, or network with their colleagues.”
To that end, learning opportunities at TexMed also have been fine-tuned. This year, each CME program will be offered in one of four “tracks,” in addition to those offered by specialties:
- Leadership and Professional Development,
- Physician Health and Wellness,
- Population Health and Public Health, and
- Business of Medicine, which includes practice and career management along with quality improvement.
With programs organized by track, physicians can more easily find the education that serves them best.
“I am super excited about all of [the education sessions], but really, there’s some great hot topic CME programming,” Dr. Mathis said. “I’m really hoping my schedule allows me to sneak over and listen to them myself.”
More flexible scheduling also allows attendees dedicated time to visit TexMed’s expo hall, which will have a wealth of resources and services specifically for physicians. TMA staff also plan to host several appreciation events, giving physicians time to socialize and network.
Members can attend lunches both Friday and Saturday, before the general opening and closing sessions, respectively. At Friday’s opening session, hear from Ted James, MD, a medical director within the Harvard Healthcare System and leader in health care transformation, who will speak on clinical innovation and leadership development.
Saturday’s lunch will be the TexMed Backyard BBQ, sponsored by TMA Insurance Trust. The event will feature hot food and live music before TexMed’s closing session, led by Brad Nieder, MD, the “Healthy Humorist,” who will present on how to work through stress in challenging times.
Dr. Mathis encourages physicians to take advantage of the new opportunities.
“TexMed is one of the premier gatherings of physicians from around the state to not only talk about business, but also to engage and learn from others about how to be a better physician, how to advocate for our patients better, and also to make new connections that are going to travel with you for the rest of your career,” he said. “Really, some of my closest friends in medicine have been made through connections that I’ve formed at TexMed.”
The changes at TexMed are a preview of related modifications to occur in future conferences, starting with the Business of Medicine Summit, formerly Fall Conference, in October. Efforts are underway to make these events more accessible and better tailored to physicians’ needs, including through virtual hybridization. Texas Medicine Today will have detailed coverage of these changes as they approach.
To register for TexMed 2023 and stay up to date on the agenda, visit www.texmed.org/TexMed.