Medicine Contends Payers Undermine the No Surprises Act’s Intended Balance. Four years in, the law protects patients from surprise bills – but insurers routinely withhold federal arbitration awards when they lose. Physicians absorb millions in unpaid balances. TMA’s four federal court wins and a proposed enforcement act aim to close the gap. hubs.ly/Q04D2rqx0

Get Answers on Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas’ Downcoding Policy. This summer, the payer implemented an evaluation and management downcoding policy. TMA has since met with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas to secure answers on transparency, process, and administrative burden. hubs.li/Q04D2v4Y0

Make your voice heard: Vote today. It matters.     Go to hubs.ly/Q04Bz5Wq0 to check your registration and find places to vote.

Central Texas Physician Planning Upgrades Through Rural Texas Strong Grant. For Randall Henderson, DO, receiving $200,000 in grant money can go far to provide facility upgrades in his practice. The federal Rural Health Transformation Program has designated $1.4 billion in funding over five years for Texas to improve rural health care throughout the state. hubs.ly/Q04CsMTv0

Get out and vote early. Polling locations are open between 7 am to 7 pm, including weekends.     Visit votetexas.gov to check your voter registration status and find a polling place.

TMA CME Credits Reported Automatically to CE Broker. The Texas Medical Board’s mandate for physicians to track their CME credits in CE Broker is now in effect. TMA automatically reports credits earned through the association, a response to member feedback asking to make the requirement easier. hubs.li/Q04BZv2r0

Early voting makes it easy to cast your ballot when it’s most convenient for you. Vote at any early voting location in your county. Head to the polls October 19-30.     Go to hubs.li/Q04ByW-K0 to check your registration status and find a polling place.

Put the brakes on flu season with a flu shot. Talk to your physician to learn more.  #VaccinesDefendWhatMatters  hubs.li/Q04nYd0f0

Comptroller Moves to End Texas’ Medical Records Sales Tax After Meeting with TMA. Texas Comptroller Don Huffines’ decision to eliminate sales tax on charges to maintain, access, or share electronic medical records is just one victory TMA has won for its members. Physicians’ stories were vital to the decision that may save practices significant cost. hubs.li/Q04B4xBm0

Payment for Some Third-Party Remote Patient Monitoring at Risk in Proposed Medicare Fee Schedule. Many physician practices use contracted vendors to supply remotely connected medical devices and help their patients. TMA warns the proposed change to restrict that could have unintended consequences – just as Medicare debuts a new chronic-care initiative built on similar technology. hubs.li/Q04zXKbC0

New CPT Codes Address Maternity Care, AI – But Payment Questions Remain. The new code set, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, adds 10 new artificial intelligence (AI)-related codes and includes significant changes to maternity care coding. Payers must still decide whether and when to incorporate the changes. hubs.li/Q04zxBXx0

TMA Win: Texas Comptroller Seeks to End Medical Records Tax TMA has learned Texas Comptroller Don Huffines signed an executive order that seeks to abolish the tax on medical records and on the systems physicians use to maintain them – a longstanding advocacy goal for the association. TMA is analyzing the positive impact of the change, which followed a roundtable meeting with physicians and business representatives. Read Texas Medicine Today for more coverage. Read the executive order. (hubs.li/Q04znnFy0) #TMA #TexasMedicine #TMAWins

FBI Warns of Recent Medical License Scams. TMA cautions all members to be vigilant as scammers are falsely threatening to revoke a medical practitioner’s license. Here are some basic tips to keep your information safe. hubs.li/Q04zdJWc0

Get your flu shots. Talk to your physician to learn more.  #VaccinesDefendWhatMatters  hubs.li/Q04nXN4y0

State Nutrition Advisory Committee Serves Up Guidelines to Shape CME, Med School Curriculum. Nobody likes being told to eat their vegetables – so the state’s new committee is instead urging Texans to “eat real food, y’all.” The state CME requirement for physicians goes into effect Jan. 1, 2027, with a medical school curriculum requirement to follow in July. hubs.li/Q04yG8nG0

Mandatory Ambulatory Specialty Model Moves Ahead Despite Medicine’s Concerns. The new Medicare value-based care program will affect nearly 1,000 Texas physicians caring for patients with low back pain or heart failure across seven specialties. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will offer more information and field questions in a Sept. 30 online office hour. hubs.li/Q04ywjHX0

Patients’ AI Use Presents an Opportunity for Physician-Led Conversation. As patients increasingly turn to artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots that lack evidence-based interventions, ethical oversight, and human judgment for mental health support, physicians say medicine must help guide the technology’s evolution to ensure it supports – not supplants – evidence-based care. hubs.li/Q04ymzkm0

Pregnant Women in Texas Need Access to Critical Health Services, TMA Tells Lawmakers. On Sept. 15, the House Public Health Subcommittee on Maternal Health, Menopause, and Access to Evidence-Based Medicine examined how to improve women’s health care in Texas. TMA Council on Legislation member Deborah Fuller, MD, gave insights and solutions critical to that goal. hubs.li/Q04ymBLb0

Defend yourself and those you love by staying on top of your vaccinations. It’s a simple step that makes a big difference at every age and every stage. #VaccinesDefendWhatMatters  hubs.li/Q04xv8S60

Electronic Prior Auth Standards Roll Out for Medicare Advantage, More. Under a final rule, revised timelines, technological upgrades, and payer reporting requirements are being implemented for programs like Medicare Advantage and Medicaid. Some provisions are already in effect. hubs.li/Q04y9wLX0