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Virtual Vigilance: Robust Cybersecurity Can Safeguard Practices - 05/13/2024

System blackouts. Ransom notes. Lost revenue. Compromised patient care. Once straight from physicians’ nightmares, these threats are now reality for their practices as cyberattacks infiltrate health care. The more medical practices and health care organizations fall victim to ransomware cyberattacks, the more important it becomes to prevent them.

ChatGPT Adviser Harvey Castro, MD, Shares AI Insights at TexMed - 05/09/2024

As a Dallas emergency physician, Harvey Castro, MD, began experimenting with ChatGPT – an artificial intelligence chatbot trained on data from the internet to generate human-like responses to text prompts – in November 2022 after asking himself what he’d “want from AI in a hospital setting.”

Drivers Ed: Texas Program Empowers Residents to Address Nonmedical Drivers of Health - 05/06/2024

Spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio developed a residency training program focused on nonmedical factors, related screening tools, and community resources that can help patients in need.

UPDATE: Cyberattack Disrupts Payment and Revenue Cycle Management - 03/12/2024

Physicians using Change Healthcare – a health care technology company that is part of Optum and owned by UnitedHealth Group – may experience claims disruptions after the company experienced a cyberattack on Feb. 21.

CMS Announces Flexibilities Following Cyberattack - 03/12/2024

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced several flexibilities that aim to help physicians in the wake of the cyberattack against Change Healthcare, which upset payment and revenue cycle management operations in pharmacies and health systems across the country.

TMA Develops New AI Education - 03/10/2024

Responding to significant interest from members after a 2023 standing-room-only TexMed event, the Texas Medical Association has developed a free webinar for members to learn how to integrate augmented or artificial intelligence technology, including ChatGPT, into patient care.

Find Other CME - 02/29/2024

Check out other CME offerings from around the state.

CMS Lifts Ban on Texting Patient Care Orders - 02/28/2024

Clinicians in hospitals and critical access hospitals may now securely text patient information and orders to other members of the health care team if using a compliant platform, thanks to advocacy by the Texas Medical Association.

May Owen, MD, Outreach Program Funds Women Physician Programs, Activities - 02/26/2024

To partner with small and mid-sized county medical societies to provide women physicians with programming and activities at the local level, the Texas Medical Association’s Women Physicians Section has established the May Owen, MD, Outreach Program.

Virtual Scribes Enhanced Relationships Between Patients and Physicians - 02/13/2024

At a time when physicians face burnout often due to administrative stress, two new studies from Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital found virtual scribes cut physician burden by 16% and enhanced relationships between patients and 60% of physicians.

Feds Require AI Transparency, Define Info-Blocking Exceptions - 02/05/2024

First-of-their-kind transparency regulations established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services aim to help physicians determine the safety of artificial intelligence technology. The new rule also established a new information blocking exception and implemented a 21st Century Cures Act requirement for health IT developers. Read more.

Information-Blocking Disincentives Unfairly Penalize Practices, TMA Tells Feds - 01/16/2024

The Texas Medical Association and others in organized medicine are pushing back on proposed federal information-blocking rules to establish “disincentives,” financial and otherwise, that could discourage Medicare participation and compromise sensitive patient-physician discussions, among other concerns.

TexMed 2024 CME Submissions Are Open - 01/11/2024

Have an educational topic in mind to be considered for TexMed 2024, taking place at the Omni Dallas, May 2-4, 2024?

Added Security: Free Tool Helps Practices Comply with the HIPAA Security Rule - 01/05/2024

Federal officials updated a free tool to help small and medium-sized practices comply with the HIPAA Security Rule.

Physicians’ DEA Registration Now Requires Training on Substance Use Disorder - 01/03/2024

Physicians who must register or renew their registration for a Drug Enforcement Administration license will face a new requirement as of June 27: To register, they will have attest to taking a one-time, eight-hour training on how to treat patients with opioid or other substance use disorders.

EHR Systems Must Give Practices Export Functionality - 12/13/2023

Practices and patients will be able to export electronic health information more easily thanks to a 21st Century Cures Act requirement that all certified electronic health records systems provide such functionality by Dec. 31.

Misdirected: Health Plan Directories See Damaging Gaps Awaiting Final Rules - 12/04/2023

Health plan directories see damaging gaps while awaiting No Surprises Act final directory rules – and accountability.

Feds Propose Information-Blocking ‘Disincentives’ - 11/14/2023

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a proposed rule that would establish what it is calling “disincentives” that could amount to serious penalties for physicians and health care professionals found to have committed information blocking.

Executive Order Requires Safe, Secure Use of AI in Health Care - 11/10/2023

President Joe Biden signed an executive order Oct. 30 establishing new standards for the safe and secure use of artificial intelligence via federal oversight across different sectors, including health care.

Feds Update HIPAA Security Risk Assessment Tool - 11/01/2023

To aid small- and medium-sized practices in complying with the HIPAA Security Rule, federal officials have updated their risk assessment tool designed to help practices identify areas where electronic  protected health information (ePHI) is at risk.

Putting the AI in Paid: Payer Use of Artificial Intelligence Sparks Physician Concerns - 10/02/2023

Physicians - worried about payers' increasing use of artificial intelligence to process prior authorization requests, enable value-based care models, and systematically deny coverage - are seeking transparency on behalf of their patients and practices.

New CME! Talk to Parents About Vaccine-Preventable Diseases - 09/06/2023

Talking to parents about vaccines can be challenging, especially with the anti-vaccine movement, and the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a decline in childhood vaccinations across the country. That’s why the Texas Medical Association has created a CME course to better prepare you for these conversations.

Business of Medicine Conference Offers More – And More Practical – Educational Programming - 08/31/2023

With an eye toward equipping physicians to navigate the modern medical practice landscape, the Texas Medical Association’s inaugural Business of Medicine conference in October offers more than triple the amount of educational content compared with last year’s counterpart, Fall Conference.

New Texas Law Shortens Data Breach Notification Period - 08/21/2023

Texas physician practices and other health care facilities soon will be required to give more timely and public notice of any breaches of computerized data, including electronic health records and billing information.

OIG Announces Information-Blocking Penalties for Certain Individuals and Entities - 08/08/2023

As of Sept. 1, the new rule authorizes steep penalties of up to $1 million against health IT developers of certified health IT, health information exchanges, or health information networks. Physicians are not affected unless they meet the definition of those parties, but related proposed rulemaking is expected soon. Read more.