2005-06 Update

The year began with a legislative session dominated by tax reform. An energized TMA, led by our lobby group or internal and external lobbyists, an "advocacy team," county and state specialty society staff, and physician leaders, achieved legislative victories including no scope expansions.  Our offense set the stage for the future with baseline HIT legislation.

Immediately following the regular legislative session, we were thrust into two special public school education tax sessions.  The 2005 legislative session made it imminently clear that Texas did not have a state health policy vision, nor agenda.  In keeping with TMA's vision to Improve the Health of All Texans, TMA's Healthy Vision 2010 was published and widely disseminated.  Healthy Vision 2010 is the strategy for TMA's goal to achieve a "healthy environment" for Texas.  In late March, a statewide Summit was convened to begin the HV2010 process, engaging physicians in playing a prominent role in establishment of a health policy agenda for Texas.

TMA and AMA socioeconomic strategy cannot be developed in isolation from the art and science of medical practice, as identified by focus group research conducted by TMA.  Our 2005 TMA 2010 model has built on TMA's long-term tradition of success.  Following is a sampling of 2005 accomplishments that lay the groundwork for 2006 and beyond:

• Clean bill of health from financial auditors on all organizations.
• Successful legislative session, primarily defensive, laying the groundwork for a complementary offense in 2006; three ad hoc committees developing our TMA legislative plan for the upcoming session.
• $1 million two-year grant for physician HIT from the Physician Foundation for Health Systems Excellence.
• Senior TMA staff recognized by state and national organizations - i.e., AMA, AAMSE, TSAE, TCJL, ASAE - for leadership excellence.
• TMA 2010, The Roadmap to the Future, has been shared with sister associations nationwide and has received positive comments, including being used as "model" association strategic plan by a nationally recognized leadership trainer/seminar series.
• Patient safety initiatives with The University of Texas, the TMF Health Quality Institute, and the Texas Department of State Health Services.
• Nationally recognized and acknowledged response to Rita and Katrina disasters by TMA and its sister organizations (TMAF and PBF); over 1,500 volunteer physicians engaged in TMA's outstanding hurricane relief efforts.
• Assistance of information technology (iMIS) with county medical societies to achieve economies and increase membership.

In 2006, the association will continue its unbroken record of accomplishment and focus on the future.  Building on our strong foundation of service, advocacy, and education, TMA will continue to excel and be successful.

New and re-energized programs in 2006 include, but are not limited to:

• A slate of programs in leadership development, geared especially to younger physicians.
• Initiation of a major HIT initiative funded in large part by the Physician Foundation for Health System Excellence.
• A new iMIS empowered approach to membership, enabling market segmentation and a strategy geared especially to large groups.
• An integrated patient safety initiative that enables TMA to assume a leadership position in this space.
• Development of a communications network composed of grassroots physicians who have established relationships with the media - especially editors - to write op-ed and other pieces with a particular focus on public health and quality.
• A TMA-sponsored summit based on Healthy Vision 2010.  The summit-process will focus on building a positive health agenda for Texas through a bi-partisan group of physicians, business leaders, legislators, hospital and insurance executives, and consumer representatives.

TMA will be guided in its pursuits by its vision, mission, goals, and strategies which have been widely disseminated to the membership and are being incorporated into all of TMA's projects and programming by its outstanding boards, councils, committees, and staff.

TMA House of Delegates: TexMed 2006