Stories with related Professional Interests

Feds’ Response to Cyberattack Aids Physicians, But Further Measures Needed - 03/14/2024

Eligible physician practices and others impacted by the recent cyberattack on Change Healthcare now may apply for accelerated and advanced payments for certain Medicare and Medicaid claims.

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.

Close to Home: Scholarships Keep Medical Students in their Communities - 01/05/2024

Scholarships keep medical students in their communities.

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.

Medicine Meets AI: Artificial Intelligence Has Potential in Patient Care - 09/29/2023

ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence platforms have potential in patient care, but that future is still a long way off.

Texas Receives $3.3 Billion Federal Grant to Expand Broadband Access - 07/27/2023

Texas recently received the largest federal grant of any U.S. state to support broadband expansion, and the state has high need. Physicians say the boost will help ease telehealth care, among many other benefits. Read more.

Free HHS Cybersecurity Training Helps Physicians Guard Against Top Threats - 05/14/2023

A free cybersecurity education platform offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services helps train physicians, health care professionals, and staff to defend against the electronic attacks they are most likely to face on the job.

How to Renew Your Electronic Prescribing Hardship Waiver - 03/24/2023

Physicians and other prescribers in Texas must now electronically prescribe controlled substances (EPCS). However, prescribers who demonstrate financial or technical hardships, or other exceptional circumstances, are eligible for a waiver from the Texas Medical Board (TMB) that, if approved, grants a one-year delay. If the hardship persists, prescribers must renew that waiver annually.

How Is Technology Impacting Your Practice? TMA Wants to Know - 02/22/2023

The Texas Medical Association has conducted numerous health information technology surveys over the years to help guide TMA advocacy and develop physician resources. Here’s your chance again to tell TMA how technology is impacting your practice.

Mental Telehealth Paves the Way: Pandemic Flexibilities Expand Access to Care - 11/01/2022

Texas physicians say pandemic-era behavioral telehealth regulatory changes have already proven beneficial – and could be maximized with additional policy reforms, like payment parity for all telehealth visits; in the meantime, the gains of the past few years have forged a path toward future telehealth expansion beyond behavioral health.

Making a SAFER EHR: This MIPS measure can help - 10/21/2022

Physicians have not always been big fans of the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), but one aspect of MIPS can help physicians protect electronic health records (EHRs) from errors, hacking, and similar problems.

TMA Urges CMS to Nix Penalties Related to E-Prescribing Controlled Substances - 10/14/2022

The Texas Medical Association is pushing back against proposed penalties for physicians who don’t electronically prescribe controlled substances.

Commentary: Physicians Need High-Value Health Information Exchange to Spur Adoption - 10/12/2022

Although health IT has progressed exponentially in the decade since the Health Information Technology and Economic Clinical Health (HITECH) Act was implemented, physicians are still challenged when it comes to interoperability.

UPDATE: New Information-Blocking Requirements Take Effect Despite Medicine's Call for Delay - 10/12/2022

Since April 2021, federal rules requiring physicians to give patients prompt access to their electronic health information have been focused on a narrow subset of those data. Starting Oct. 6, the so-called information-blocking requirements are set to broaden that scope significantly.

You've Got Direct Mail: Direct Messaging Offers Practice Benefits - 10/03/2022

Direct messaging is a low-cost, electronic communication method similar to email that allows physicians to exchange protected health information over the internet in a secure, HIPAA-compliant manner.

Get Ready for an EHR Upgrade by Dec. 31 to Comply With 21st Century Cures Act - 08/30/2022

Electronic health record vendors must conduct a major software upgrade by Dec. 31, and physician offices should be prepared.

Did DSHS Email You About a Criminal Background Check for Death Registry? Here’s What to Do to Maintain Access - 05/19/2022

Starting today, some Texas physicians will receive an email from the Texas Department of State Health Services asking them to complete a criminal background check to access TxEVER, the state’s vital records registry.

Data Transfer Problems Burdensome for Practices, TMA Tells Feds - 05/11/2022

The federal government is trying to standardize data sharing so electronic health records (EHRs) across the country can all speak the same language. The Texas Medical Association is telling the government to keep working on it.

Operation Electronic Integration: Connecting EHRs With Other Systems a Work in Progress - 05/02/2022

Even in medicine, today’s world is a connected one. But that doesn’t mean every conceivable connection is in place, nor does it mean the ones already in place are perfect. According to Texas physicians, that sums up the situation with electronic health records (EHRs) and their integration with other databases that can securely transmit patient information back and forth between physicians, labs, other practitioners, hospitals, and state agencies.

Have a Say in Texas’ Broadband Expansion Plan - 04/14/2022

Telemedicine has made a home in the health care system, and the trend will continue as broadband availability increases thanks to infusion of new state and federal funding.

Physicians Support Making Pandemic-Era Telehealth Policies Permanent, Survey Shows - 04/06/2022

A vast majority of physicians currently use telehealth and would like to see the pandemic-era policies that enabled its rapid expansion stick around so they can continue to do so.

Reactivate Your EHR’s Access to the PMP - 03/10/2022

With the state of Texas no longer covering the fees that allow physicians’ electronic health record (EHR) systems to integrate with the state’s prescription monitoring program (PMP), physicians are now responsible for paying those fees. If you want your system integrated with the PMP, know your options and make sure you stay connected.

TMA Resource: Help Your Patients Adapt to Telemedicine - 03/04/2022

Even with the COVID-19 pandemic appearing to be lessening, and many practices reporting the majority of their patient visits are once again in person, it’s important to let your patients know telemedicine options still exist.

Find the Right EHR With TMA’s Updated Comparison Tool - 12/15/2021

If you’re shopping for an electronic health record (EHR), the Texas Medical Association’s updated EHR Comparison Tool is the place to start investigating options.

Use Direct Messaging to Share Patient Information Electronically - 12/08/2021

Under regulations that went into effect in April 2021, physicians must share patient information with each other electronically upon request. Texas Medical Association health information technology experts caution that tackling these requirements means physicians must use a standardized way to exchange information that’s HIPAA-compliant.