Stories written by Phil West

First Tuesdays at the Capitol Lets Legislators Hear What Matters Most to Medicine - 04/02/2025

Since 2003, TMA member physicians, medical students, and TMA Alliance members have told their stories to legislators via First Tuesdays at the Capitol. Advocates for medicine have two more opportunities this session to share their views.

Insurance Concerns Dominate TMA Testimony - 03/31/2025

One bill would exempt certain plans from important patient protections, while another could undo reforms to insurer ranking and tiering practices.

CMS Issues New MIPS Hardship, Extension Tied to IV Fluid Shortage - 03/28/2025

The 15-day window opens today, March 31, and comes in response to medicine’s advocacy. TMA encourages affected physicians to document those shortages and the impact on their practices.

TMA Monitoring Approximately 2,800 Bills, Testifies for Patient Protections - 03/24/2025

Bolstered by testimony from dedicated physicians across the state, the Texas Medical Association took to both houses of the Texas Legislature to protect patient safety, as well as promote fair data use and healthier social media practices for youth.

Touting Texas: David N. Henkes, MD, Championed the State’s Physicians in His 25 Years on the Delegation to the AMA - 03/10/2025

David N. Henkes, MD, recalls his first American Medical Association meeting in San Francisco as a new member of the Texas Delegation to the AMA. The November 2001 conference was, in a word, “overwhelming.”

TMA Signs Letter Calling for Congress to Protect Medicaid Funding - 03/06/2025

As the U.S. House of Representatives considers $880 billion in cuts from the committee overseeing Medicaid, TMA and all 50 state medical societies detailed the impacts such a cut would make to patient care and practice viability.  

TMA Testifies to Block AI Use in Prior Auth, Support Health of Young and Aging Texans - 03/05/2025

Physicians made the rounds in the Texas Senate, providing testimony to prohibit unfair prior authorization practices, launch a new dementia care institute, and keep the growing populations of kids and seniors healthy.

Advancing Primary Care: Medicare Rolls Out New Payment Codes for Treating Chronic Conditions - 03/04/2025

Though the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has introduced another acronym into the Medicare mix, some physicians express optimism this particular one could help practices stay viable.   For Greg Fuller,

TMA Welcomes State Budget Provisions for Medicine, Healthy Living Legislation - 02/27/2025

TMA physicians weighed in on the state budget, applauding appropriations supporting medicine and urging additional funding, and advocating for a Texas Senate bill aiming to make Texans healthier.

Fire in His Belly: Outgoing TMA President G. Ray Callas, MD, Traverses Texas to Advocate for Medicine - 02/27/2025

When G. Ray Callas, MD, was first elected president of the Texas Medical Association, he was moved by the trust his fellow physicians put in him to speak on their behalf and advocate for them.

Let Doctors Be Doctors: Jay Shah, MD, Readies For a Holistic Approach to Serving as TMA President - 02/27/2025

For Jayesh B. “Jay” Shah, MD, the incoming president of the Texas Medical Association, his journey to become a physician started in his hometown of Vadodara (formerly Baroda), then a city of more than a million people in western India.

TMA Seeks Clarification on Revamped Texas Medical Board Rules - 02/26/2025

The Texas Medical Board recently streamlined its portion of the Texas Administrative Code, taking 40 chapters down to 25. TMA is working to reduce uncertainty resulting from the changes.

Medicare Payment Cuts Drive Physician Shortage, TMA Tells AARP - 02/24/2025

After an AARP Bulletin article connected the current physician shortage to a wider health care crisis, TMA joined the Physicians Advocacy Institute to co-author a response focusing on the role that Medicare payment cuts play.

TMA Calls for Increased Funding to Help TMB Address Workforce Issues - 02/21/2025

TMA President G. Ray Callas, MD, advocated for Texas Medical Board (TMB) funding, citing record numbers of physician license applications. Plus, learn the Texas House committee assignments that may influence medicine’s legislative agenda. Read more.

Medicine Backs New Legislation Halting Latest Medicare Payment Cut - 02/18/2025

Led by physician lawmakers, the proposed legislation would cancel the most recent physician pay cut and provide some extenuating relief for the remainder of the year. TMA recently joined the American Medical Association’s national advocacy conference to take their efforts to lawmakers’ doorsteps in D.C.

More Than One in Five Claims Denied in Texas by Non-Group Qualified Health Plans - 02/11/2025

A study of health plans available through HealthCare.gov in 2023 shows one in five claims nationwide were denied – with Texas ranking among the top five states for in-network denials.

Scope Bills, Budget Gains Mark Start of 2025 Legislative Session - 02/10/2025

Capping off a robust week of advocacy, TMA is now targeting a pair of scope of practice infringement bills, as well as tracking other measures to advance prior authorization reform and boost funding for the state’s medical education, public health, and safety net programs.

Webinar: Review Medicaid Revalidation Extension, Retroactive Enrollment - 01/30/2025

The state’s Medicaid administrator is hosting a series of informational webinars to provide details for physicians eligible for a deadline extension, as well as for those who may qualify for backdated validation after being disenrolled.

Fees to Remain Unchanged for Federal Surprise Billing Dispute Resolution - 01/24/2025

The $115 amount, a nonrefundable fee each party in a dispute must pay, represents a significant reduction from what was once a proposed $350 fee that TMA successfully challenged in litigation.

Physicians Rally Around TMA Legislative Priorities at Inaugural Virtual Event - 01/15/2025

With the curtain rising on the 2025 legislative session rising Jan. 14, TMA leaders detailed to attendees how its top 10 legislative priorities tie into physicians’ needs across the state, and how to help advocate at the Capitol on medicine’s most pressing issues in similar upcoming TMA events.

Landmark Antitrust Settlement in BCBS Case Granted Preliminary Approval - 01/09/2025

Physicians can now file a claim in a $2.8 billion settlement fund given preliminary approval by a U.S. District Court involving Blue Cross Blue Shield. The final verdict is expected in July.

TMA’s Top Legislative Priorities: Guarding Against Scope of Practice Expansion - 01/06/2025

TMA is working to grow the physician workforce and preserve physician-led health care in Texas.

TMA’s Top Legislative Priorities: Striking the Right Balance on Noncompete Agreements - 01/06/2025

TMA endorses a noncompete agreement policy protecting both employee and employer physicians.

TMA’s Top Legislative Priorities: Protect Medicine from Corporate Influence - 01/06/2025

TMA continues its work to keep nonmedical entities and corporate influences from interfering with physicians.

TMA’s Top Legislative Priorities: Seeking Prior Authorization Reform - 01/06/2025

In 2025, TMA will advocate for improvements to a landmark prior authorization bill and address burdensome Medicaid practices.