Texas Medical Association
EVPGram
Volume 6, Number 41
To:
TMA Official Family
From:
Louis J. Goodman, PhD, CAE, Executive Vice President
([email protected])
Texas Medical Association
Date:
November 22, 2004
A BIG “THANK YOU” TO PERMIAN BASIN DOCTORS:
TMA President Bohn Allen, MD, and I were warmly welcomed at the annual
joint meeting of the Ector and Midland county medical societies. We
discussed medicine’s agenda for next year’s legislative session, our
TMA 2010 strategic planning process, the many benefits coming out of the
Aetna and CIGNA settlements of our national class-action lawsuit, and
recent poll results showing public support for physicians. Richard
Bartlett, MD, president of Ector County Medical Society, is also the
medical correspondent for KOSA-TV. He interviewed Dr. Allen on the air
about our new Be Wise — ImmunizeSM
initiative.
TAB AT IT AGAIN:
Texas Association of Business (TAB) last week unveiled a strongly
antipatient, antiphysician legislative package for 2005. TMA fired back
immediately. “Let’s set the record straight. TAB is a front group of
big insurance, for big insurance, and by big insurance,” Dr. Allen
said. “The Texas Medical Association strongly opposes TAB’s
sugar-coated legislative ‘reforms’ to take away Texans’ rights to
choose their own doctors. And TMA vows to protect Texans’ right to have
doctors and patients – not big insurance companies – make medical
treatment decisions.” Want confirmation? TAB first floated its plan in
Dallas earlier this year as a solution to “Texas’ health insurance
crisis.” There are many serious problems with health care around the
country right now, but given the latest headlines announcing the
industry’s profit reports, I wouldn’t call it a “health
insurance” crisis.
TMA-COUNTY SOCIETY COLLABORATION HONORED:
Whenever anyone asks the secret of TMA’s success, I always point to the
tremendous relationship we have with Texas’ county medical societies. A
great example is the shared membership database we’ve implemented over
the past several years. For the first time in the 150-year history of
organized medicine in the Texas, TMA and the component county medical
associations can share accurate membership information on a real-time
basis. Congratulations to the team in Austin and across the state for
winning the 2004 Insight Award for Innovation in Associations presented
by Association Trends and Principled Innovation LLC. The award recognizes
“an idea that fundamentally changed the way in which business is
done.”
NEW TMA COURSE OFFERS ETHICS CREDIT:
TMA mailed free copies of our new home study course, TSBME
Investigations: The Devil's in the Details, to 10,000 member
physicians. The publication offers three hours of CME credit in ethics
and professionalism. Texas Medical Liability Trust policyholders can get
a 3-percent premium discount for taking the course. Return the evaluation
form plus $25 to claim your CME hours. To order a copy of the book,
e-mail [email protected]
NO ’GRAM
NEXT WEEK: EVPGram
will take a long holiday weekend and return in December just before the
American Medical Association interim meeting in Atlanta. Happy
Thanksgiving to all!
