Stories from Texas Medicine, March 2024

Medicare Advantage – and Disadvantage: Program Enrollment Grows Amid Physician Concerns - 04/03/2024

Despite its growing popularity among Medicare patients, Medicare Advantage is divisive among physicians.


Residency Revival: Grassroots Advocacy Averts Residency Program Closure - 03/12/2024

Grassroots physician advocacy averts emergency medicine residency program closure.


Party With a Purpose - 03/05/2024

The Texas Medical Association Foundation’s (TMAF’s) 31st annual gala, Wonderland, will feature designs and décor inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic story Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.


Middle Ground: Medicare Offers Options Amid Shift to Value-Based Care - 03/05/2024

Physicians are divided on the issue of value-based care, but, with Medicare forging ahead, the Texas Medical Association is focused on monitoring the development of alternative payment models, educating members about their options, and advocating for physician protections.


Championing Physician Leadership: Strategic Plan Aims to Cultivate Leaders - 03/05/2024

TMA’s strategic plan aims to cultivate skilled physician leaders.


Exceptional Circumstances: TMA Advocates “Legislative Clarity” Amid State Abortion Bans - 03/05/2024

TMA advocates “legislative clarity” amid state abortion bans.


Fix Medicare Now: 2024 Fee Schedule Solidifies Cut, Heightens Calls for Reform - 03/05/2024

This latest cut stems from the 2024 Medicare physician fee schedule and Congressional inaction, both of which further erode physician payment, practice viability, and patient access to care.


Medicine’s MIPS Win: 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Stabilizes Program - 03/05/2024

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services yielded to the Texas Medical Association’s concerns about its proposal and the impact of constant changes to MIPS on its participants.


Telemedicine Flexibilities Preserved in Medicare Fee Schedule - 03/05/2024

The 2024 Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) extended several pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities, many of which impact physicians who treat rural patients and those with behavioral health needs.


Coding Changes in Fee Schedule Promote More Accurate Payment for Complex Visits - 03/05/2024

The 2024 Medicare physician fee schedule allows physicians to list G2211 in addition to codes used in office or outpatient visits for new or established patients (i.e., 99202-99215). Physicians also can use it for telehealth visits.