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TMA President William H. Fleming III, MD, urged Gov. Rick Perry to add legislation expanding the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to the agenda for the special session of the Texas Legislature that begins today, July 1.
Add CHIP to Special Session, TMA Says
6/29/2009 7:00 PM
You can stay up to date on the work of the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission by subscribing to the commission's E-Border Health bulletins.
Sign Up for Border Health Newsletter
6/29/2009 7:00 PM
TMA, AMA, and dozens of other physician organizations told federal officials they generally support the federal government's attempt to define "meaningful use" of electronic health records (EHR), but they have some reservations.
TMA, AMA Question HIT Incentives Timeline
6/29/2009 7:00 PM
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is sending letters to approximately 125 physicians and 75 hospitals to recover payments HHSC says were made erroneously for services provided to patients residing in Institutions of Mental Disease …
TMA Monitoring State Recoupment Actions
6/29/2009 7:00 PM
If you are involved in planning the content of continuing medical education (CME) activities for your hospital, county medical society, specialty society, or other organization, you'll find the upcoming 2009 Texas CME Conference Wednesday through Friday, …
2009 CME Conference in July
6/28/2009 7:00 PM
Do you know an outstanding medical educator deserving of recognition? If so, you can nominate him or her to receive the TIAA-CREF Distinguished Medical Educator Award. Nominations are accepted until Aug. 15.
Medical Educator Award Nominations Sought
6/28/2009 7:00 PM
A special session of the Texas Legislature to finish up the business it didn't get to in the regular session begins July 1.
Special Session Starts July 1
6/27/2009 7:00 PM
WOL+MED in Denton is hiring a physicians to work in its occupational medicine / family practice office.
TMA Classifieds Online
6/27/2009 7:00 PM
The Texas Department of State Health Services has changed vaccination requirements for children. Students entering kindergarten and seventh grade may need more shots before the school year begins.
Encourage Parents to Vaccinate Kids Now
6/27/2009 7:00 PM
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) says someone posing as Medicare carriers or Medicare administrative contractors is sending faxes to physician offices.
Medicare Scam Alert!
6/23/2009 7:00 PM
The Federal Trade Commission says physicians who regularly bill their patients for services (includes billing for copayments and coinsurance) are creditors and must develop and implement written identity theft prevention programs for their practices by …
Red Flags Rules A Month Away
6/23/2009 7:00 PM
At his speech to the annual American Medical Association meeting in Chicago last month, President Barack Obama emphasized the importance of physician participation in the debate over health system reform. The nation’s sharp focus on health care issues …
Reform Main Topic of TMA Fall Conference
6/23/2009 7:00 PM
This year's flu season could get hairy for physicians. That's because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, and public health officials are forecasting the reemergence of the H1N1 flu strain that hit the nation this spring and spread to pandemic proportion. In response, the pharmaceutical industry is busy working on producing an H1N1 vaccine. Physicians can take steps now to get ready to amplify vaccination efforts to protect the public and themselves against seasonal flu and H1N1 flu this fall. This installment of podcast TMA examines the likely recurrence of H1N1 flu and the physician response necessary to prevent the spread of that virus and of seasonal influenza. Download the show now. The cover story of the July 2009 issue of Texas Medicine magazine takes a look at the state's response to H1N1 flu and efforts to produce an effective vaccine in time for flu season. Today, Edward Sherwood, MD, Central Texas Veterans Health Care System chief of staff, chair of TMA's Committee on Infectious Diseases, and Williamson County health authority; and Pedro Piedra, MD, professor of molecular virology, microbiology, and pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, discuss what physicians need to know to cope with H1N1 flu and seasonal influenza this fall. This installment covers:
Want to Subscribe to Podcast TMA through iTunes?
Here's the link. It takes you to the iTunes store. Subscription is free.Responding to a request from the Texas Medical Association, Gov. Rick Perry vetoed legislation that would allow hospitals to hire physicians. TMA asked the governor to veto the bill because it would have weakened the landmark liability lawsuit reforms …
Governor Vetoes Bad Liability Bill
6/18/2009 7:00 PM
This special installment of Podcast TMA comes to you directly from the Hyatt Regency Chicago, where we hear the installation address of Jim Rohack, MD, the new president of the American Medical Association.
Dr. Rohack’s installation comes one day after President Barak Obama made an historic visit to the AMA and on the eve of a long hot summer of negotiations over health system reform. The former TMA president, a cardiologist from Temple, takes his audience through a history lesson – the evolution of medicine, of organized medicine, and of Jim Rohack himself.
“I can promise that our AMA is committed to offering guidance, our expertise, the benefits of our relationship with patients, and the powerful voice of our profession, to help the powers that be make the right decisions,” Dr. Rohack said. “This is an effort that will define our organization, define our nation and define each and every one of us.”
Want to Subscribe to Podcast TMA through iTunes?
Here's the link. It takes you to the iTunes store. Subscription is free.President Obama told American Medical Association delegates on June 15 that the Health Insurance Exchange Program, or public option, portion of his health system reform plan is not "a Trojan horse for a single-payer system."
Public Option Not Single-Payer, Obama Says
6/15/2009 7:00 PM
The final appeal surrounding the settlement of the antiracketeering lawsuit against the Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association have been resolved, and the more than $130 million in settlement funds will be …
BCBS Settlement Money Coming This Summer
6/15/2009 7:00 PM
TMA is offering a new seminar to help physicians comply with changes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) contained in the economic stimulus package Congress passed earlier this year.
Seminar Clarifies New HIPAA Provisions
6/10/2009 7:00 PM
For nearly three hours this afternoon, the AMA House of Delegates worked diligently on about 200 words. What should American medicine say about health system reform, especially after President Obama's historic visit to the house the day before? Should they condemn the "public plan," or just say what the AMA wants?
The Texas delegation to the AMA was actively involved in this debate, urging at every turn that the message stay positive -- what AMA wants, not what it opposes. TMA delegates spoke passionately at the microphone and huddled with colleagues from other states.
Just when it looked like Texas and her allies had prevailed, time was called. The house was unable to finish its business today and must pick up where it left off on 9 am Wednesday morning.
Below is a photo collage of the day's discussions ... from a Texas perspective, of course.
The AMA House of Delegates is a legislative body. As such, it discusses and debates action items and then adopts them as AMA policy, puts them off for further study, or defeats them. The items include reports prepared by the AMA Board of Trustees or various AMA councils, and resolutions submitted by state or specialty society delegations.
Like other "legislatures," much of the detail work of the House of Delegates is done in committee. Each item of business is assigned to one of eight reference committees for consideration. Each reference committee consists of seven physician or medical student members of the house. They hear testimony, which can come from any AMA member, on each item on the agenda. The reference committees then meet to make recommendations on each item to the full house. Those recommendations serve as the starting point for debate on the reports and resolutions by the full house.
Reference committees met throughout the day on Sunday, June 14. The House of Delegates will begin its debate on the reference committee reports on Monday, June 15.
Four members of the Texas delegation are serving on reference committees at the 2009 annual meeting. All of the remaining members of the Texas delegation are assigned to work groups that study the individual reference committees' agendas in-depth and testify on issues of specific interest to Texas physicians.
Congratulations to Jason Sharp, MD, a resident physician from Dallas. The American Medical Association House of Delegates today unanimously reelected Dr. Sharp to a second term on the AMA Council on Constitution and Bylaws.
Dr. Sharp, who was the first student member of the TMA Board of Trustees, is working in a radiology residency at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas.
Congratulations to San Antonio internist Jayesh Shah, MD. He is the new chair of the American Medical Association International Medical Graduate Section.
Fort Worth plastic surgeon Larry Reaves, MD, is one of three physicians running for two positions on the AMA Council on Constitution and Bylaws. Today, Dr. Reaves and his competitors got their workouts, scrambling from one room to another in the massive Hyatt Regency Chicago to speak before various screening committees who interview candidates and recommend choices to their colleagues in the AMA House of Delegates.
The election is Tuesday, June 16.
AMA President-elect Jim Rohack, MD, was kind enough to share the presentation he is using during the 2009 AMA Annual Meeting to outline the American Medical Association's priorities and positions on health system reform. You might want to pay close attention to Slide 16, which shows the effect of "bending the curve" on the rate of health care spending in the U.S.
Don't forget, upcoming live blogs from the AMA meeting:
All times are CDT.
