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.
The bill-filing deadline for the 2025 Texas Legislature arrived March 14, capping TMA’s bill-tracking count at approximately 2,800 of nearly 9,000 filed.
Curtailing illegal practice of medicine
To protect patients from unsafe services provided by nonphysician practitioners, TMA testified against Senate Bill 268. The bill would require a health care licensing board “to refer a complaint that involves a practitioner not licensed under that board to the appropriate licensing board for investigation and possible discipline,” according to the bill author’s statement of intent.
In testimony, Tilden Childs, MD noted the bill’s passage would impact the Texas Medical Board’s ability to issue cease-and-desist orders against nonphysicians practicing outside their scope and administrative penalties on those who don’t comply.
“These powers serve an important patient-safety function, allowing TMB to act swiftly when someone is engaging in, or threatening to engage in, the unauthorized practice of medicine,” per TMA testimony.
“The bill could seriously undermine this historic enforcement framework as applied to health care practitioners who are licensed by another licensing agency and put the well-being of our Texas patients at serious risk,” Dr. Childs said.
Data driving health care
In the insurance sphere, Zeke Silva, MD, chair of TMA’s Council on Legislation, testified on House Bill 138, which calls for the creation of “the Health Impact, Cost, and Coverage Analysis Program” to prepare analyses of legislative documents that would impose new mandates on health benefit plan issuers or administrators,” per the bill’s language.
“While recognizing the importance of quality data in making far-reaching health care decisions, TMA also sees significant potential for improvement in this bill, and we look forward to partnering with the chair and this committee to enable it,” Dr. Silva said in oral testimony.
Though not opposed to the spirit of the bill, TMA does warn against solely using insurer-supplied cost estimates to gauge the effects of new legislation on health care.
“We want the data to be representative of not just the cost of care and not just from one particular source,” Dr. Silva said. Rather, he emphasized outcomes for preventive care and interventions should be considered, factoring in a patient’s long-term well-being and quality of life.
Safeguarding sensitive test results
Part of a multi-session effort to protect patients, TMA testified in support of Senate Bill 922, which would keep what the bill terms “sensitive test results” from being directly, electronically transmitted to patients – allowing physicians to instead deliver those results with appropriate framing. TMA physicians have cited the need for this measure for diagnoses such as cancer, or for finding a genetic marker.
“Oncologists are trained to convey this information in a timely, informative, and supportive manner so patients understand not only what the test means but what options they have,” said David Gerber, MD, in his testimony. “This is an opportunity to offer hope and reassurance to the patient.”
“But recent federal laws requiring the immediate release of all test results to patient portals means patients receive this information in a way not carefully explained and lacks this support,” the Dallas oncologist said. Dr. Gerber personally recounted instances of patients getting test results indicating cancer while at a business dinner, while reading a bedtime story to a toddler, and during a rush-hour commute.
“We are not seeking to withhold important information from patients,” Dr. Gerber clarified. “Rather, we are seeking to deliver the information the best way we can.”
Safer social media
Seeking to mitigate harm to minors in the digital age, TMA offered support for House Bill 499, which proposes a warning label on social media platforms to inform users about the potential risks associated with social media use among young people.
“Children and adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety,” said Lauren Gambill, MD, in testimony delivered to the House Committee on Public Health March 17. “This is concerning, as a recent survey showed that teenagers spend an average of 3.5 hours a day on social media.”
Keep up with all TMA testimony delivered on behalf of medicine this session, and plan to deliver your own by registering for one or both of the remaining First Tuesdays at the Capitol events in 2025.
Phil West
Associate Editor
(512) 370-1394
phil.west[at]texmed[dot]org
Phil West is a writer and editor whose publications include the Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, Austin American-Statesman, and San Antonio Express-News. He earned a BA in journalism from the University of Washington and an MFA from the University of Texas at Austin’s James A. Michener Center for Writers. He lives in Austin with his wife, children, and a trio of free-spirited dogs.