Related Stories

Delegates Emphasize Women’s, Reproductive Health Ahead of Legislative Session - 05/15/2024

Continuing its mission to improve the health of mothers and babies in Texas, along with addressing ongoing sexual health and opioid crises, TMA passed and strengthened policy to shape the association’s advocacy come legislative session.

Postpartum Coverage Extension Brings Payment Complexities - 04/05/2024

As the 12-month postpartum coverage Texas legislature approved took effect March 1, physicians and their practice staff should take note of subsequent payment complexities, Texas Medical Association experts caution.

May Owen, MD, Outreach Program - 02/23/2024

The May Owen, MD, Outreach Program is a grant program of the TMA Women Physicians Section (TMA WPS) that provides funding to bring female physician oriented programs and activities to small and mid-sized county medical societies.  

ACOG Toolkit Assists Maternal Care in Non-Obstetric Settings - 02/21/2024

In the wake of the startling statistic that 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable if treated properly, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has created an educational toolkit focused on educating physicians located in non-obstetric settings, such as emergency departments and trauma centers, who do not regularly deal with pregnant patients.

Medicaid, CHIP Postpartum Coverage Extension Will Take Effect March 1 - 02/08/2024

After a multi-session advocacy effort by the Texas Medical Association, specialty societies, and women’s health advocates, Texans who are enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program and who are pregnant or become pregnant will see their postpartum coverage automatically extended starting March 1.

On the Mend: Maternal Care Wins Encourage Better Outcomes in Texas - 11/05/2023

Twelve months of postpartum coverage and other maternal wins encourage physicians for better outcomes.

The Power of One Voice: Elisabeth Potter, MD's Advocacy Helped Upend CMS' Plan to End Certain Breast Surgery Coverage - 11/01/2023

Elisabeth Potter, MD’s spirited advocacy helped upend CMS’ plan to eliminate coverage for a preferred breast reconstruction surgery.

Law Would Help Improve Data Collection on Maternal Deaths - 09/06/2023

A bill that became law in December is designed to help states fix some of their problems with collecting maternal death information. The Preventing Maternal Deaths Act of 2018 would help states and fund maternal mortality review committees that can evaluate, improve, and standardize maternal death data.

Patient Care Protected: Women's Reproductive Health - 08/14/2023

One of the Texas Medical Association's top legislative priorities this session was to get clarity for physicians on how they can safely treat pregnant women while protecting the patient-physician relationship.

TMA Leaders Outline Initiatives to Protect Texas Mothers, Children - 07/17/2023

The Texas Medical Association will call on Texas lawmakers to support initiatives designed to improve maternal and children's health during this year's legislative session, according to the chairs of two TMA committees who spoke at Winter Conference in Austin on Saturday.

Texas Medicine Inbox: June 2017 - 07/17/2023

Inbox — June 2017 Tex Med. 2017 113(6) 6. I read with great interest the commentary, "Epidural Use Disparities by Spanish Speaking People in Labor," by Estevan A. Apodaca, MD, a family medicine resident,

Physician-Led Results: Women’s Reproductive Health - 06/28/2023

Physicians entered the 2023 legislative session with heavy concerns over and difficulties in interpreting Texas' abortion statutes when caring for pregnant women in crisis. A last-minute bill signed by Gov. Greg Abbott now provides some legal defenses under Texas' abortion ban when treating certain potentially life-threatening pregnancy complications.

TMA-Backed Bills Would Increase Access to Women’s Reproductive, Early Childhood Health Care - 03/24/2023

Twelve month postpartum coverage and a boost to certain Medicaid payments top a list of measures Texas lawmakers are moving on that would bolster women’s health care services, in line with the Texas Medical Association’s priorities for

Stop Maternal Deaths: Texas Report Reinforces TMA Legislative Priorities - 03/10/2023

The latest biennial survey of maternal death and illness shows why the Texas Medical Association made improving maternal health one of its top priorities for the current state legislative session.

Maternal Death Report Reinforces TMA Priorities for Maternal Care - 12/29/2022

The latest biennial report on maternal deaths in Texas and a subsequent update show Texas still has a long way to go to adequately protect the health of women in their child-bearing years – especially women who are Black – reinforcing the Texas Medical Association’s long-standing efforts to improve maternal care and access.

Counting on Women’s Health: Texas Takes Steps to Fix Maternal Mortality Data - 11/23/2022

There is a lot of confusion about how cases of maternal death and illness are counted in Texas, and the work of unraveling that confusion falls on the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee.

COVID-19 Now a Major Cause of Maternal Death, GAO Report Says - 11/01/2022

An analysis by the Government Accountability Office provides the first glimpse into the impact of COVID-19 on pregnant women, and – not surprisingly – the disease has become a leading cause of death among them, says Houston obstetrician-gynecologist Rakhi Dimino, MD, chair of the Texas Medical Association’s Committee on Reproductive, Women’s, and Perinatal Health.

Medicine Pushes For Expanding Medicaid Coverage to New Moms - 10/07/2022

Federal lawmakers must pass a bill that would allow states to provide 12 months postpartum coverage to mothers who lose Medicaid coverage two months after giving birth, and would provide a bump in Medicaid matching dollars for those states, medicine and others said in a letter this week.

Maternal Deaths: First U.S. Data Since 2007 Shows Serious Problems Persist - 10/07/2022

Texas’ rate of maternal deaths is slightly above the national level, long-awaited new data from the National Center for Health Statistics shows.

Strength in Numbers: Women Physicians Seek to Change the Culture of Medicine - 09/22/2022

In Texas, women accounted for 36% of active physicians as of September, just under the national rate of 37% and more than double their share 25 years ago. They now outnumber men among Texas medical school enrollees, suggesting they may account for most of the physician workforce in future decades.

Texas' Plan to Promote LARCs Released - 09/08/2022

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) on Thursday will release the state's five-year strategic plan for promoting long-acting, reversible contraceptive devices (LARCs), which are seen as key to reducing the state's high maternal mortality rate. 

Women Physicians Spotlight: Lindsay K. Botsford, MD - 09/04/2022

September is Women in Medicine Month. So how are leaders like Lindsay K. Botsford, MD, impacting medicine within organized medicine and within their practice settings? Here's what this TMA Women Physicians Section member has to say.

Ten Years Later: TMA Advocacy Nets Investments in Women’s Health - 07/27/2022

A decade ago, the Texas Legislature made a funding decision that devasted low-income women’s access to health care and the physicians and community clinics that care for them. After 10 years, with the help of TMA advocacy and the formation of the Texas Women’s Healthcare Coalition, funding for family planning and overall women’s health is in significantly better shape.

TMA Women Physicians Section GroupMe - 07/18/2022

Join the TMA-WPS GroupMe! This is an opportunity for TMA woman physician section members to converse informally, collaborate, and exchange information.

Member Spotlight: Emily D. Briggs, MD, Women Physicians Section Chair - 07/04/2022

Meet New Braunfels family physician Emily D. Briggs, MD, chair of the Texas Medical Association’s Women Physicians Section. Dr. Briggs feels the section is an important part of TMA because “historically, women have been underrepresented in medicine. Over the decades we have made significant strides. However, leadership in medicine does not reflect this advancement.”