Top Stories Affecting Physicians and Patients

• Patient Safety

  Prescription Drug Shortages Threaten Patient CareBroken bones lie ahead for premature babies because their doctors can’t give them the drugs they need, a leading Texas physician says. A record shortage of prescription medications threatens patients with complications and even death if they receive a less-effective alternative medication or the wrong dosage of a substitute drug, or have to go without the drug altogether. 
• SCOPE

  Judge Backs TMA on Patient Safety Issue State District Judge Rhonda Hurley signed her final judgment in favor of the Texas Medical Association and the patients it works to protect Monday. The judgment invalidates the Texas State Board of Chiropractic Examiners’ (TBCE) vestibular testing rule by declaring the test is beyond chiropractors’ lawful scope of chiropractic.   
• Worksite Wellness

  TMA Walking the Talk to Get FitObesity is epidemic in Texas, threatening health and health care budgets. The Texas Medical Association (TMA) has long advocated for worksite wellness programs to combat this problem. Now employees at America’s largest state medical society aren’t just “talking the talk” about getting more fit; they are “walking the walk” as well. Employees hit the gym together weekly, and collectively they have shed more than 368 pounds since last year.
• TMA

  TMA Named Top WorkplaceTMA was  named a “Top Workplace” for 2011 by the Austin American-Statesman. While the newspaper grants the honor, TMA employees provided the feedback. The state physicians’ professional society scored high in surveys completed by its own employees (of 184 medical society staff, 165 replied).
• Public Health

  Get a Flu Shot Now, Say PhysiciansAs flu season approaches, Texas Medical Association (TMA) physicians want to remind Texans to get vaccinated against this potentially serious, even fatal illness. For patients who are needle-phobic, there are new ways to get vaccinated.
  
• TEXAS LEGISLATURE

  Physician Employment ProtectionsTexas is one of the first states to statutorily pass clinical protections for physicians who choose employment. And, we protected the ban on the corporate practice of medicine.
• Patient Safety

  TMA Wins Key Medical Board ChangesPhysicians will face less bureaucratic hassle from the Texas Medical Board (TMB) under a trio of Texas Medical Association-backed bills signed by Gov. Rick Perry.