4/25/2025
At current state-level vaccination rates, measles may become endemic again; increasing vaccine coverage would prevent this.
4/25/2025
TMA and DCMS call on physicians to voice their concerns about SB3055, which creates a pathway to independent practices for Advance Practice Registered Nurses(APRNS).
4/25/2025
That report announces 7,609 medical licenses issued by the Texas Medical Board in 2024, breaking the previous year’s record (7,060) by 7.8%.
4/18/2025
“Even though many people can say, ‘Well, measles is a viral illness, it doesn’t have any complications in the majority of cases,’ that’s not essentially true,” said Dr. Carla Garcia Carreno, DCMS member and pediatric infectious disease specialist.
4/18/2025
Generative artificial intelligence (Gen-AI) chatbots hold promise for building highly personalized, effective mental health treatments at scale, while also addressing user engagement and retention issues common among digital therapeutics.
4/18/2025
More than 30 Texas Medical Association physicians from across the state made the trek to the Capitol to testify in person early Monday, April 14, that House Bill 3794 would dismantle Texas’ longstanding physician-led care model.
4/11/2025
The “Zero Suicide Model” was developed in 2001 at Detroit-based Henry Ford Health, where the focus on people considering suicide included collaborating with patients to reduce their access to lethal means such as firearms.
4/11/2025
The measles outbreak that originated in Gaines County, Texas, has continued to spread with 481 cases identified since late January, almost all of them in unvaccinated individuals.
4/11/2025
The Texas Medical Association is mobilizing against a dangerous scope of practice bill set to go before the House Public Health Committee on Monday, April 14, that, if it advances, could erode Texas’ longstanding physician-led care model and patient
4/4/2025
The call will look at the ongoing outbreak and provide information about clinical considerations, testing, and local resources, with speakers including local experts in infectious disease, epidemiology, and public health.
4/4/2025
Texas entered the COVID-19 pandemic already at a disadvantage, with an unhealthy and uninsured population, an underfunded public health system, and workforce shortages spread across the health care system.
4/4/2025
There is still time to join fellow DCMS physicians in San Antonio for TexMed2025. A great opportunity to learn and earn CME, network and connect with colleagues, and lend your voice.
3/28/2025
The agencies' special telehealth registries will also be postponed with this latest delay of long-awaited telehealth prescribing guidance.
3/28/2025
Childhood-onset striatonigral degeneration robs children of the ability to walk and talk by age five. Researchers at Scottish Rite are aiming for a cure.
3/21/2025
The proposal recommends sweeping, significant revisions to established definitions, language, and standards for ePHI, citing a changing health care landscape and a worrisome increase in cyberattacks affecting patient information.
3/21/2025
New findings released from United States of Care (USofCare) reveal that while a majority of people have received primary care services recently, access and affordability barriers remain.
3/14/2025
Texas Medicaid will end the 2024-25 Respiratory Syncytial Virus season for most state health service regions on March 31, 2025. Prior authorization requests for Synagis will no longer be accepted or reviewed.
3/14/2025
The fund, known as the Dementia Prevention Research Institute of Texas, will focus solely on research, and its establishment could attract more researchers to Texas as the state faces an aging population and increasing dementia rates.
3/14/2025
Flu season continues to retreat, but activity remains fairly high. Influenza-like illness (ILI) fell again during the week ending March 1, with 4.9% of visits to the doctor for fever and cough or sore throat.
3/7/2025
Senate Bill 815 would prohibit the use of artificial intelligence to deny a prior authorization request.
3/7/2025
The AMA has declared drug shortages to be an urgent public health crisis and a national security threat and is actively working to limit the impact on practice.
3/7/2025
In a new episode of TMA Health Beat, hear from Lubbock's health authority and TMA leader, Ronald Cook, DO, on the crucial role of immunization.
2/28/2025
The Texas Medical Association is seeking clarification from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) on its newest flu testing policy after learning the payer is denying certain claims for the diagnostic.
2/28/2025
Unless Congress acts, physicians will again be required to meet with Medicare patients in person before a telehealth mental health consultation, and starting April 1.
2/28/2025
Resources are available from DCHHS that address routine vaccination and other circumstances. We suggest printing these resources or saving them for reference.
2/21/2025
Last week, DCMS physician leaders met with Dallas-area Congressional members at the AMA National Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C. The focus? Fixing the Medicare payment system and reversing the latest reimbursement cuts.
2/21/2025
Hospitalists regularly see patients through the most vulnerable, intimate and challenging moments of their lives despite having little to no relationship history. And while the care needs are often severe, time and beds can be very limited.
2/21/2025
Urge your lawmaker to cosponsor and support House Resolution 879, the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act.
2/14/2025
The event, which typically takes place once every two years, had been scheduled for May 20 to 22 in Galveston.
2/14/2025
After an initial peak around the turn of the new year, outpatient influenza-like illness (ILI) activity dropped for a couple weeks—before making an unexpected rebound, rising to 7.8%.
2/14/2025
Aetna’s Feb. 10 reversal preserves NPPs’ ability to fully bill under a supervising physician’s name and National Provider Identifier (NPI) for services incidental to the physician’s diagnosis and treatment of an injury or illness.
2/7/2025
America's patients and physicians are counting on Congress to provide this much needed relief and work toward achieving long-term Medicare physician payment reform.
2/7/2025
The bonus is earned by physicians, including psychiatrists, who provide primary care or mental health services to Medicare patients in geographic areas that lack enough health care professionals to meet the needs of their populations.
2/7/2025
Influenza activity is rebounding aggressively, with outpatient influenza-like illness (ILI) now surpassing its January peak to hit 7.0%. In the past 22 years.
1/31/2025
The Texas Department of State Health Services is announcing two confirmed cases of measles in residents of Gaines County. Both cases are in unvaccinated school age children who were hospitalized in Lubbock and have since been discharged.
1/31/2025
Physicians will not see changes in 2025 to federal independent dispute resolution (IDR) fees tied to the No Surprises Act, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently announced.
1/31/2025
Starting April 1, Aetna will pay physician practices only 85% of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule’s allowed amounts for services provided by non-physician practitioners.
1/24/2025
This program comes after The Dallas Morning News and the San Antonio Express-News published a thorough investigation into preventable trauma deaths.
1/24/2025
Through more than 25 years of follow-up, supine hypertension was associated with greater risks of fatal and nonfatal coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and all-cause death.
1/24/2025
The pause also applies to anything intended to be published in the Federal Register, where the executive branch communicates rules and regulations, and the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a CDC scientific publication.
1/17/2025
Algorithm glitches are one facet of a dilemma that computer scientists and doctors have long acknowledged but that is starting to puzzle hospital executives and researchers.
1/17/2025
Texas’ 2025 legislative session runs from Jan. 14 to June 2. Lawmakers will debate a bevy of issues and pass hundreds of bills that affect Texans’ lives. Here’s a rundown of how legislation moves through the Capitol.
1/17/2025
Between November 2023 and October 2024, about 5.3 million people with Medicare Part D coverage used these drugs to treat a variety of conditions, such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, and asthma.
1/10/2025
A U.S. District Court in Alabama has given preliminary approval to a landmark antitrust settlement involving Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS).
1/10/2025
Please join fellow Dallas County physicians and their guests on Saturday, January 25, 2025, for an evening of entertainment and celebration. All DCMS members are invited to attend as we welcome the incoming 2025 President and Board of Directors.
1/10/2025
First Tuesday visits to the Capitol will be held in February, March, April, and May of 2025 in conjunction with the 89th Session of the Texas Legislature. DCMS invites our member physicians to register to attend.
12/13/2024
While the overall public health risk remains low, increasing samples submitted to public health labs statewide can help DSHS determine if spikes in influenza A activity stem from H5N1.
12/13/2024
Draft recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force are aimed at getting more people screened and spreading the word that women can take their own vaginal samples to check for cancer-causing HPV.
12/13/2024
Members have three weeks remaining to submit ideas for CME at TMA's annual meeting, TexMed. Educational topics must fall into the categories of leadership and professional development; physician health and wellness; population and public health; busi
12/6/2024
Texas Medicare administrative contractor, Novitas, has published the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for download in PDF, Excel, and TXT formats. Individual code lookups will be available Jan. 1. Get the fee schedule.
12/6/2024
As of November, about 37% of adults 18 and older had received a seasonal flu shot, while 19% had received updated coronavirus vaccines and 40% of adults 75 and older – the group at greatest risk – got an RSV vaccine.
12/6/2024
In the wake of a divisive election season, there is one important sign of bipartisanship prevalent on Capitol Hill.
11/22/2024
The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline is a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s broader efforts to improve maternal health and supports HRSA’s ongoing initiative to reduce maternal mortality and health disparities.
11/22/2024
On November 15, 2024, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) confirmed the first reported case of clade I mpox in the United States.
11/22/2024
A traumatic pandemic has prompted many patients to undertake advance care planning to secure the quality treatment they deserve. Physicians can receive compensation for this delicate and vital process through Medicare.
11/8/2024
Patients who live outside of metropolitan areas frequently drive for more than 20 minutes for a primary care visit, according to new data published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
11/8/2024
Health officials say it’s important to get vaccinated ahead of the holidays, when respiratory bugs tend to spread with travel and indoor celebrations.
11/8/2024
Mark Casanova, MD, has a sign in his office reminding him of his team’s unconventional motto: “Stomp Out Suffering.” “A number of years ago, at the end of a team meeting, I just uttered the words as motivation.”
11/1/2024
After years of consecutive physician payment cuts, including a 2.8% cut scheduled to go into effect on January 1, it's clear that the Medicare physician payment model is hopelessly broken. Thankfully, Congress has started to take this threat to the f
11/1/2024
TMA's billing, coding, and payment page offers resources for physician practices, from one end of the continuum to the other. Educate yourself with our articles and tools, or get help with more complex questions.
11/1/2024
As respiratory illness season continues, TMA has an assortment of Vaccines Defend What Matter videos to help you educate families on the importance of keeping vaccinations updated.
10/25/2024
In the practice of medicine, noncompete agreements have special public policy concerns, “as their use can impact continuity of care, access to needed medical services, and patient choice of a physician,” the Texas Medical Association recently testifi
10/25/2024
Starting Nov. 18, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) will no longer pay physicians for outpatient or inpatient consultations when they report those services with Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes 99242 – 99245 and 99252 – 99255.
10/25/2024
The Lancet published the first real-world data analysis of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine efficacy among older US adults in a large multistate study. The study shows the vaccine was 80% effective in protecting against hospitalizations and
10/11/2024
After the Change Healthcare cyberattack earlier this year, cybersecurity has become a central concern for physicians and patients alike. Join us for this AMA Advocacy Insights webinar on Oct. 18 at 12:30 p.m.
10/11/2024
“We have been asked to start looking at ways to conserve our IV fluids so we don’t have a situation where elective surgeries would need to be postponed,” said Shaina Drummond, MD, president-elect of the Dallas County Medical Society.
10/11/2024
District Judge Laurie Eiserloh of Travis County blocked Texas HHS Executive Commissioner Cecile Erwin Young from finalizing a set of contracts that would have displaced nearly half the Texans who receive Medicaid & Children’s Health Insurance Plan.
10/4/2024
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is not anticipating a major impact on the availability of health care products stemming from the port strike that began this week, with current assessments foreseeing a “limited” effect.
10/4/2024
Texas has seen an increase in THC poisonings among young children over the past few years. One Dallas County Commissioner is trying to get the attention of parents to help bring the numbers down.
10/4/2024
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule (MPFS) that includes yet another 2.8% cut to physician Medicare payments on Jan. 1, 2025.
9/27/2024
As part of a second round of interim charges announced Sept. 10, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick added noncompete clauses to the Senate Business and Commerce Committee’s list ahead of the 2025 session.
9/27/2024
The AMA Women Physicians Section (WPS) Inspiration Award honors and acknowledges physicians who have offered their time, wisdom and support throughout the professional careers of fellow physicians, residents and students.
9/27/2024
CDC recommends a single dose of an RSV vaccine for everyone ages 75 and older and for people ages 60–74 who are at increased risk of severe RSV.
9/20/2024
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is planning oversight of third-party healthcare vendors in the wake of the Change Healthcare cyberattack, said Jonathan Blum, the agency's principal deputy administrator.
9/20/2024
The legislation extends critical telehealth provisions for two years that began during the COVID-19 pandemic and were set to expire at the end of the year.
9/20/2024
Congratulations to the Dallas County Medical Society participants of the TMA Leadership College Class of 2025: Matthew Edwards, MD, Sina Najafi, DO, Subhan Tabba, MD.
9/6/2024
When you support the Dallas County Medical Society on #NTXGivingDay, you are helping ensure DCMS can continue to support Dallas County physicians and provide opportunities to local students to cultivate the next generation of Dallas physicians.
9/6/2024
As Medicare telehealth flexibilities rapidly approach their expiration date, researchers from Cornell examined 2022 Medicare fee-for-service claims to understand how physician characteristics impacted telehealth use.
9/6/2024
Effective September 1, HHSC is transitioning contracts for the STAR+PLUS program. This document provides STAR+PLUS members and providers with resources for assistance with go-live concerns.
8/23/2024
As of Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the number of people testing positive for Covid keeps rising and that emergency room visits for Covid have been increasing since mid-May.
8/23/2024
With feedback and final scores for the 2023 performance year of Medicare’s Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) now available online, Texas Medical Association experts urge physicians to check their scores soon as they will impact 2025 payment
8/23/2024
Texas’ performance with the nation’s 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – launched by a 2022 federal law – is seeking to catch up to other states in important areas, according to a new study, as the resource remains underused in part because many physicia
8/16/2024
Congratulations to DCMS members Kristen Bishop, MD, Kevin Klein, MD, James “Brad” Cutrell, MD, William Gary Reed, MD, E. Sherwood Brown, MD, PhD, MBA, and Christiana Sahl Renner, MD, MS, on receiving these prestigious awards and recognitions.
8/16/2024
The FDA approval was based on data from the company's phase 2 PaTH Forward trial and the Phase 3 PaTHway trial.
8/16/2024
The Food and Drug Administration said it approved the spray from drugmaker ARS Pharmaceuticals Inc. as an emergency treatment for adults and older children experiencing life-threatening allergic reactions known as anaphylaxis.
8/2/2024
To keep up with surging demand in mental health services, provider plans to open ‘a place of healing’ for southern Dallas area in late 2025.
8/2/2024
The FDA published an alert on July 26 after receiving reports of dosing errors involving compounded semaglutide injectable products dispensed in multidose vials.
8/2/2024
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has developed a recorded presentation for Medicaid and CHIP providers about the extended postpartum coverage to 12 months for eligible Medicaid and CHIP recipients as directed by House Bill 12, 88th Legi
7/26/2024
Two hospitals in California in recent months have been cited by state inspectors for allowing certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) to practice beyond their scope, leading to one hospital temporarily stopping use of CRNAs in surgeries.
7/26/2024
The patient is a male resident of the City of Dallas in the 75230-zip code diagnosed with West Nile Non-Neuroinvasive Disease (WNNND).
7/26/2024
Congress must act to stop the proposed pay cut and support the bipartisan House Resolution 2474 to reform Medicare’s broken payment system and ensure physicians receive inflationary updates like hospitals and other Medicare providers receive.
7/19/2024
Among those surveyed, 34 percent said they use TikTok to get most of their health advice, making it more than twice as popular as the other options listed.
7/19/2024
KRLD's Mike Rogers talked to Dr. Donna Casey, Immediate Past President of the Dallas County Medical Society, about the current COVID situation.
7/19/2024
It is important to note that physicians and other health care providers will be subject to CMS and ONC’s disincentive regulations starting July 31, 2024.
6/21/2024
Submit your comments using the Draft Policy Comment Submission (HHS Form 1342). VDP will consider the comments when developing the final policy and share the final policy and implementation information later.
6/21/2024
Citing research that shows social media could be negatively impacting youth mental health, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy said a surgeon general's warning on social media platforms, similar to those on tobacco and alcohol products, could raise awareness for par
6/21/2024
Texans have new tools to understand conditions around maternal and child health in the state. The Texas Department of State Health Services has launched new public data dashboards on maternal health and infant health as part of its Texas Health Data
6/14/2024
The bill, introduced by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., would require Medicare Advantage plans to establish electronic prior authorization programs for health care providers beginning in 2027.
6/14/2024
The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury are announcing a 120-calendar-day exception period for disputing parties impacted by the recent Change Healthcare cybersecurity incident.