Stories written by Jessica Ridge

TMA’s Top Legislative Priorities: Enhance Medicaid Payments and Coverage - 12/20/2024

TMA will work to enhance Medicaid payments and coverage this legislative session

Learn How to Get Paid for Nonmedical Drivers Screening with New CME - 12/19/2024

A newly available CME webinar details how to receive payment for screening patients for nonmedical drivers of health, the constellation of conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect health outcomes and risks.

I Never Knew TMA: Offered Wellness Resources to Fight Burnout - 12/18/2024

The Texas Medical Association offers a menu of resources to help physicians actively put their wellness first.

Enhancing Awareness - 12/18/2024

Physicians Can Help Dispel Myths to Ease the Syphilis Epidemic in Texas

TMA’s Top Legislative Priorities: Protect Immunizations to Protect Public Health - 12/18/2024

TMA will work to safeguard immunizations this legislative session.

TMA’s Top Legislative Priorities: Improve Women's Health and Clarify Abortion Exceptions - 12/18/2024

The Texas Medical Association made big strides last session, securing a hard-won waiver extending Medicaid postpartum coverage to one year and expanding access to other women’s health care through the Healthy Texas Women (HTW) and Family Planning Program, for instance.

DSHS Updates Patient Education Resource for Prenatal Practitioners - 12/18/2024

Physicians can access the updated, free publication from DSHS, which includes timely information on topics such as congenital syphilis and urgent maternal warning signs as well as statewide resources for new parents.

I Never Knew TMA: Has Print and Digital Publications to Keep Members Informed - 12/09/2024

The Texas Medical Association keeps physicians informed with timely, tailored, trusted news about the business and practice of medicine.

Multistage, Collaborative Review of State Trauma Rules Yields a Win for Medicine - 12/04/2024

A monthslong, multidisciplinary effort by a consortium of stakeholders in trauma and emergency medical services, including TMA, has borne fruit in trauma care rules that extend physician involvement and prioritize common sense in the trauma facility designation process.

I Never Knew TMA: Had Leadership Development Opportunities - 12/04/2024

TMA Leadership Development programming is designed to help build leadership skills, enhance your résumé, boost your career, and help you gain an understanding of how one can make a positive impact in your profession, your association, and your community.

I Never Knew TMA: Has Local Community Health and Outreach Programs - 11/27/2024

The Texas Medical Association’s community outreach programs offer a rewarding alternative for physicians to connect with their patients in ways that can have a big impact even beyond the office.  

Legislature Examines Children’s Mental Health Ahead of 2025 Session - 11/18/2024

Texas lawmakers have made great strides in their ongoing investment in mental health services and support for children and their families, and that must continue if Texas is to improve such access to care and reduce the risk of behavioral health crises.

Unlocking TxEVER: Experts Weigh in on Best Practices for Texas’ Death Records Registry - 11/14/2024

Experts weigh in on best practices to navigate Texas’ death records registry.

50-Year Club Scholarship Fund Supports the Next Generation of Texas Medicine - 11/12/2024

Three medical students received this year’s scholarships, administered by a member-driven charitable fund that has awarded a total of $39,000 to 47 future physicians since 2005.

Respiratory Illness Rates Likely Stable for 2024-25, Vaccines Could Lower Peak - 10/25/2024

This year’s respiratory illness season is likely to bring a similar or lower number of combined peak hospitalizations due to COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus compared with last season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention telegraphed in its 2024-25 Respiratory Disease Season Outlook.

TMA Spotlights ACS Study to Improve Cancer Data for Black Women - 10/25/2024

Serving its goal of increasing access to cancer care, the Texas Medical Association’s Committee on Cancer is amplifying recruitment efforts for a new study, calling on Texas physicians to generate awareness to boost study enrollment and promote health equity. Read more.

Twice-Revised State Trauma Rules Represent Progress; Safety, Access Concerns Remain - 10/17/2024

In the second attempt at revamping Texas’ emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma care rules for the first time in nearly two decades, the Texas Medical Association praised health officials for their collaborative and transparent approach, but still harbors concerns about revisions that could reduce access to trauma care and physicians’ role in providing it.

Seeing ‘the Joy in Medicine’: Panel Explores Business of Medicine Shifts, Balance - 10/15/2024

Professional autonomy and work-life integration remain top of mind for Texas physicians amid an evolving health care consumer market and technological landscape.