News

Learn Medicare Payment Updates, Earn CME in Live TMA Webinar - 10/31/2025

TMA’s first live Medicare webinar in six years will also address changes to quality and alternative payment programs, as well as a new pilot testing AI in prior authorization. Register now and submit questions in advance.

Medicare to Test Enhanced Technology Utilization Review in Texas - 10/30/2025

The Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model is set to debut in Texas and five other states in January 2026. It would require certain Medicare services to undergo “enhanced technology” review.

Know Outstanding Science Teachers? Nominate Them for a TMA Award - 10/29/2025

If you know an outstanding educator, nominate him or her for the Texas Medical Association’s Ernest and Sarah Butler Awards for Excellence in Science Teaching.

TMA to Fight for Health Coverage Expansion, Scope of Practice During 2021 Legislature - 10/29/2025

At the 2020 Texas Medical Association Advocacy Retreat on Saturday, Debra Patt, MD, chair of TMA’s Council on Legislation, laid out a preview of medicine’s top legislative priorities for the upcoming session.

Hemp Sales See Age Requirement of 21 with More Rules to Come - 10/29/2025

Physicians say medicine must continue to stay at the table and advocate for safe regulation and enforcement, with the new age requirement of 21 only part of the solution. The state is studying and drafting rules for permanent consideration.

Ivermectin Can Now Be Dispensed in Texas Without Physician Prescription - 10/28/2025

TMA testified patient safety is at risk when physician oversight is removed from prescription medication dispensation. Concerns included determining proper dosages and potential interactions with other drugs.

Physician Compensation Increasingly Tied to Productivity, Data Finds - 10/28/2025

Only 29% of physician contracts feature a straight starting salary with no production bonus, according to data from a top physician recruiting firm. While quality still plays a role in some bonuses, volume-based metrics are on the rise.

Government Shutdown: Medicare Continues to Pay Claims for Unexpired Services - 10/27/2025

As of Oct. 15, “no payments have been delayed,” the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said, clarifying a previous notice suggesting a claims hold. Expired provisions continue to include telehealth services.

Referral Pilot Program Now Open for TMA Member Physicians - 10/27/2025

Impact Texas Medicine, approved by TMA’s Board of Trustees, allows physician members to share their TMA story with nonmembers while possibly earning credit toward membership dues. Peer-to-peer physician connections are the best way to strengthen medicine’s voice, leaders say.

Ban on Physician-Owned Hospital Creation Could Be Lifted by Congress - 10/27/2025

Physician-owned hospitals create greater access to care and allow physicians to counter increasing market consolidation, according to the American Medical Association. TMA signed on to AMA’s letter supporting federal efforts to promote such facilities.

Texas Exceeds Latest Recommendations to Quell Syphilis - 10/27/2025

Texas’ mandated screenings for syphilis during pregnancy align with and surpass recently reaffirmed guidance from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. The state’s numbers continue to climb, but at a lower rate. Physicians can earn CME or attend in-person or virtual meetings coordinated by the state to keep apprised.

Physicians Benevolent Fund ‘Helps Fill the Gap’ with Short-Term Support - 10/24/2025

In addition to long-term assistance, the fund provides physicians with temporary aid for personal expenses such as mortgage, utilities, transportation, and health care bills.

One Physician’s 50-Year Journey to Make Sure Empathy is a Part of Patient Care - 10/24/2025

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.

TMA Foundation Grants Immunize Communities, Educate Patients - 10/22/2025

The TMA Foundation offers grants of up to $3,500 to fund vaccination activities, educational resources, and community outreach events. This year’s awardees will provide free immunizations and aim to reduce barriers to care.

Corpus Christi Leaders to Co-Chair 2026 TMA Foundation Gala - 10/21/2025

The TMA Foundation’s 33rd annual gala will take place April 17 at next year’s TexMed in Corpus Christi. Each year, funds raised through sponsorships, ticket sales, and auction items help support a variety of TMA and family of medicine outreach programs.

ACOs Earn Record $4.1 Billion in Medicare Shared Savings Program Payouts - 10/21/2025

Three in four accountable care organizations (ACOs) nationwide earned performance payments for contributing to health care savings. Those operating in Texas outpaced national numbers, with nearly 90 percent receiving payouts.

HHSC Extends Medicaid Revalidation Another Six Months - 10/21/2025

The state is providing physicians with additional time to take a key step in caring for Medicaid patients. It’s also providing a reentry pathway for physicians disenrolled last year.

Value-Based Care Extended to Texas PPO, EPO Health Plans for Primary Care Physicians - 10/20/2025

The new state law authorizes primary care physicians to enter into value-based care (VBC) payment arrangements with state-regulated PPOs and EPOs, if they choose to. The new law includes several guardrails TMA advocated for that seek to promote fair dealing in VBC negotiations.

Federal Changes May Narrow Certain Medicaid Eligibility Provisions, Boost Others - 10/17/2025

Changes on the horizon include a shortened timetable for giving new Medicaid applicants retroactive coverage, more frequent eligibility checks, and an expansion of the populations eligible for home and community-based services. Texas will also need to reconcile an issue concerning CHIP waiting periods and benefit caps.

Adverse Event Reporting Law Targets Emergency Use, Experimental Vaccines - 10/17/2025

A new state law effective Sept. 1 requires physicians to report serious adverse events for patients who receive emergency use-authorized (EUA) vaccines, but the recent termination of certain authorizations may narrow the bill’s impact going forward.

Medicine Calls for Exemption to New $100,000 H-1B Visa Application Fee - 10/15/2025

International medical graduates (IMGs) make up about a quarter of Texas’ physician workforce, considering both licensed physicians and residents. But a White House executive order, requiring a new $100,000 fee for H-1B work visa applicants, could squeeze this crucial pipeline in meeting health care needs.

CMS Details New Federal Prior Auth Program in AMA Webinar - 10/15/2025

Join leaders from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS’) Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) and the American Medical Association on Oct. 22 at 7 pm CT in discussing the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) pilot, which will test new prior authorization processes for select services in the Medicare fee-for-service program in Texas and five other states.

$3 Billion Dementia Research Investment Up for Vote in November - 10/14/2025

Alzheimer’s disease, which comprises 60-80% of dementia cases, is rising in Texas and becoming a public health crisis, per state officials. TMA supports a new research institute aiming to change that.

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.

New State CME Targets Congenital Syphilis’ Rising Rates - 10/13/2025

Physicians can access free CME through the state to help turn the tide in Texas amid stubbornly high prevalence rates.