MMS Quarterly Spring 2022

Volume 26, Number 1

2022

Christopher Pokabla, M.D. President

Your 2022 Board of Directors

Project Access West Tennessee

Welcome to charity care that benefits patients and physicians.

We are expanding healthcare to uninsured, low-income people throughout western Tennessee. Join us in providing speciality care to those in need.

Flexible Commitments Customize your level of commitment and choose from teleheath, phone consults or in-office visits.

Liability Coverage The Volunteer Health Services Act protects physicians providing charity care.

Simple Billing Our team collects all billing and reimbursement paperwork, and volunteers can receive CME for participating.

Easy Referrals Our team coordinates referrals and guides the patient through each appointment.

Donate Your Time and Your Talents Today 901-761-0200 projectaccess@mdmemphis.org

Volume 26, Number 1 2022 The mission of the Memphis Medical Society is to unite the physicians of Memphis and Shelby County into an organization to promote the highest quality of medical practice and the health of our citizens.

Managing Editor Allison Cook 2022 Board of Directors President Christopher Pokabla, M.D. Immediate Past President Andrew Watson, M.D. President-Elect Lisa Usdan, M.D. Vice President Dale Criner, M.D. Secretary Catherine Womack, M.D. Treasurer David L. Cannon, M.D. Members-at-Large James Beaty, M.D. Christopher Jackson, M.D. Desiree Burroughs-Ray, M.D. Kyle Smith, M.D. James Wang, M.D. Paul Tackett, M.D. Perisco Wofford, M.D. Melanie Woodall, M.D. Ex-Officio Board Members LaTonya Washington, M.D., President, Bluff City Medical Society Andreana Smith, President, Mid-South MGMA

In this issue President’s Letter 2 Hospital Updates 4 Society Updates 6 Member Spotlights

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2022 Board of Directors

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Research 14 Finance Q&A 17 Legislative Update

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The Memphis Medical Society 1067 Cresthaven Road Memphis, TN 38119 901-761-0200 mdmemphis.org CEO/Executive Vice President, Clint Cummins, MHA

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President’s Letter

Colleagues, I am humbled and honored to be your President this year. I do not take lightly the job of filling the shoes of the talented and dedicated Presidents before me. I look forward to building on their legacies and continuing to strengthen organized medicine.

I am a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine, arthroscopic shoulder surgery and shoulder replacement at OrthoSouth. I received my medical degree from Northeastern Ohio University College of Medicine and completed orthopaedic surgery residency at Ohio State University in Columbus Ohio. I also completed a fellowship in sports medicine and shoulder surgery at Mississippi Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center in Jackson, Mississippi and the Tulane Institute of Sports Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana. During my time at Tulane, I served as a team physician for Tulane University. I am currently an associate master instructor for AANA shoulder courses at the Orthopaedic Learning Center in Chicago, IL. And I serve as the team physician for Arlington High School and as a preceptor for physician assistant students at Christian Brothers University.

Hopefully you have heard of our new initiative, Project Access West Tennessee. Supported by our Memphis Medical Foundation, PAWT coordinates specialty care needs of the uninsured in West Tennessee. The need is great, and I am happy to say that I have already seen a PAWT patient in my office. It was an extremely smooth process, did not interrupt my daily schedule, and it was a wonderful feeling to help those in extra need. You’ll find a story from Dr. Perisco Wofford on his PAWT experience in this issue. I encourage all our members to see one PAWT patient a month. Think of the impact we could make. For more information and to be added to our volunteer list, visit www.projectaccesswesttn.org. We will only reach out when there is a need for your specialty.

Looking forward to a terrific year,

Christopher Pokabla, M.D.

President, Memphis Medical Society 2022 2

Have you considered participating in a clinical research study to learn more about your cardiovascular disease and living healthily?

If you have experienced a heart attack, a stroke or you suffer from insufficient blood flow in your legs, this study may be for you

Did you know that even with the best treatments and standard of care, many people with cardiovascular disease remain at risk of suffering from a heart attack or a stroke due to build-up of fat in their blood vessels? This condition is called ‘inflammation’. At the moment, no treatment exists to manage this inflammation. You may want to consider participating in the ZEUS study, evaluating a study drug for its ability to treat inflammation and reduce the risk of stroke, heart attack, and death, from cardiovascular causes. Join ZEUS in a journey of up to 4 years, with expert care, where your health is at the center.

What is the ZEUS study?

In the ZEUS study, we will investigate if the study medicine called ‘ziltivekimab’ can reduce the risk of stroke, heart attack, and death, from cardiovascular causes in people with inflammation in their blood vessels.

Can I participate in the ZEUS study?

Why should I participate?

You may qualify to participate in the ZEUS study if:

• Join a unique worldwide community helping to investigate the possible benefits of ziltivekimab in people like yourself

• You are 18 years of age or older • You have had a stroke or heart attack, have insufficient blood flow in your legs

• Learn more about your cardiovascular or kidney disease, and how to live more healthily

• Have kidney disease which does not require dialysis or a transplant

• Receive close care and follow-up to best manage your health – where COVID-19 safety and flexibility are high priorities

• You are able to attend regular clinic visits and receive phone

• Try a study medication that only needs to be taken once a month by injection

calls over a period of up to 4 years

This study is currently recruiting

Lisa Usdan, MD, F.A.C.E.

For more information, please contact:

CNS Healthcare 901-843-1045 www.cnshealthcare.com

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Hospitals

TAVR presents an alternative to open heart surgery at St. Francis Hospital Heart care is constantly evolving, and patients and physicians are increasingly leaning toward non-invasive options, which present fewer side effects, a shorter recovery and less time in the hospital for patients—with an equal or greater final result to open procedures.

Trans Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) minimally invasive valve replacement, an alternative to open heart surgery, involves the surgeon going through the groin or carotid to replace the valve rather than an open procedure.

At Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis, the TAVR Program is reaching its 2nd anniversary and close to 100 procedures. The vast majority of our patients discharge to go home the day after their TAVR procedure.

Many are now being transferred to the floor after bedrest rather than staying overnight in the ICU. Due to the minimally invasive nature of the procedure, TAVR patients report getting back to normal activities quicker and an overall satisfaction with the procedure.

Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare: Pioneering same-day discharge after transcatheter aortic valve replacement, other heart procedures The COVID-19 pandemic spurred drastic changes to the practice of medicine, requiring healthcare systems to find innovative solutions to deliver care and reduce the risk of virus exposure. During this time, Dr. Mehul Patel from Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare developed a protocol for sameday discharge after transcatheter valve replacement or repairs and Watchman procedures. Qualifying patients receive treatment for structural heart disease and are discharged within the same day.

Methodist leads the way as the pioneer of this protocol. “We were the first center in the world to do the broadest spectrum of all structural heart procedures and safely send qualifying patients home on the same day,” said Dr. Mehul Patel, director of Methodist’s structural heart disease program and hybrid lab.

The same-day protocol was widely acclaimed at The American College of Cardiology-Quality Summit, awarded “Best-Abstract” at the prestigious 2021 London Valves conference and “Top-Abstract” at 2022 Cardiovascular Research Technologies conference. Today, healthcare organizations around the globe leverage Methodist’s protocol to deliver timely patient care while making it possible for patients to spend the night in the comfort of their own homes.

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Hospitals

Wound Care Center and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Program Earns Accreditation with Distinction at Regional One Health Regional One Health’s Wound Care Center and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Program has received accreditation with distinction from the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS). UHMS accreditation means the center has met or exceeded the highest standards of care and patient safety through rigorous evaluation of our operations, including equipment, staff and training to ensure that the utmost quality is maintained within the specialty of undersea and hyperbaric medicine.

“I am extremely proud of our team’s hard work and dedication,” said Tony Alleman, MD, director of the Wound Care Center. “Achieving this significant milestone reflects Regional One Health’s commitment to providing the highest standards of care and patient safety.”

The program has three board certified physicians who treat patients. There are less than 500 board certified wound care physicians across the country. Regional One Health’s Wound Care Center is the only facility in Tennessee where patients can receive treatment in a multi-place hyperbaric oxygen chamber.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves the use of medical oxygen administered in a pressurized chamber at levels generally two to three times higher than atmospheric pressure. This pressure helps increase the oxygen levels in the blood, advancing its absorption into damaged tissues to promote healing of wounds, serious infections, and other illnesses. A well-maintained chamber and trained support staff are essential in the daily operation of this important treatment.

Baptist Cancer Center Offers Robotic Bronchoscopy Baptist Cancer Center is the first in Memphis to use cone beam computed tomography-guided robotic bronchoscopy, a scarless procedure used to help diagnose lung cancer earlier. It can mean lower mortality and an increased chance at curative surgery for patients.

The robotic bronchoscopy allows earlier and more accurate diagnosis of small and hard-to-reach nodules in the periphery of the lung. Combining traditional endoscopic views into the lung with computer-assisted navigation based on 3D models of the patient’s own lung anatomy, the new technology provides physicians with continuous bronchoscope vision throughout the entire procedure.

“Robotic bronchoscopy is a tool that can help us save patients’ lives,” said Dr. Anurag Mehrotra, interventional pulmonologist with Baptist Cancer Center. “Our goal is to lower lung cancer death by early diagnosis, and this tool can help us do that. We will not leave any stone unturned.”

Baptist is also the first in the city to develop a full-fledged interventional pulmonary service to support a multidisciplinary thoracic oncology program. The development of this program and acquisition of this new technology supports Baptist Cancer Center’s multifaceted initiative called the Mid-South Miracle, aimed at reducing lung cancer deaths in the Mid-South by 25% by 2030.

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Society Updates

Welcome!

The Baptist Cancer Centers recently joined the Memphis Medical Society and Tennessee Medical Association as an all-in, new group member. The Cancer Centers have more than 20 locations across Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas and more than 60 physicians caring for over 7,000 patients each year.

As we look ahead at this new partnership with the Cancer Centers, we are looking forward to the ways we can expand care for physicians and patients in the Memphis area through the Medical Society, the Foundation, and Project Access West Tenn.

We value all of our members and are so excited to welcome these new physicians to our organization.

Our Board and staff hope to meet all of the members at our 2022 President’s Gala on April 30!

Thank you, Baptist Cancer Centers, for supporting organized medicine and our mission to improve the lives of physicians both at home and in the practice.

DR. JOSEPH FAHHOUM DR. DANIELLE HASSEL We thank these physicians who have volunteered their time and talents to those in need in our community.

THANK YOU! 6

DR. JAY MACDONALD DR. TAMMY MCCULLEY DR. CHRIS POKABLA

Join them projectaccesswesttn.org

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Member Spotlight

MMS Member TMA President

Dr. Andrew Watson is now President-Elect of TMA

Dr. Andrew Watson of Memphis and MMS’s Immediate Past President has been elected as the 2023-2024 President of the Tennessee Medical Association. Dr. Watson will serve one year as President-Elect, one year as President and one year as Immediate Past President. His primary role is to be the face of and spokesman for the TMA with its membership, the media, government officials, and citizens of Tennessee.

“It’s truly an honor to be elected by my peers across the state,” he says. “I’m eager to get to work strengthening organized medicine in Tennessee.”

Dr. Watson has been a TMA member since 2005, recently having served eight years on the TMA Legislative committee. He has held several leadership roles at the local and state level, and he has served numerous times as a delegate with TMA’s House of Delegates.

“Dr. Watson has been one of the most dedicated leaders we have had at Memphis Medical Society and TMA,” Clint Cummins, MHA, CEO says. “I have experienced the impact of his leadership first-hand, and we know he will make a great impact across the state, making practicing medicine better for physicians and their patients.”

“My most sincere thanks to each member for your recent support in the 2022 Tennessee Medical Association’s race for president-elect.

I will ensure that your voice is heard in every aspect of TMA’s efforts both with the legislature and across our statewide community of physicians. Please do not hesitate to contact me regarding any issues or concerns within the TMA you may have,” he says.

“Thank you again for the confidence of your vote. Thank you for electing me to help represent you.”

Dr. Watson will be officially installed on May 21st, 2022, at TMA’s Annual Meeting and House of Delegates at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs.

Dr. Watson is a board-certified cardiologist in practice with St. Francis Cardiology Associates. His TMA President email is andrew.watson@tma.org.

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Wofford commits to volunteer work Finds it obligation as physician

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Member Spotlight

“We all do some sort of volunteer work,” says Dr. Persico Wofford. “Whether you are seeing patients through Christ Community, Church Health, local health fairs, or just in your office. I find it a moral obligation as a physician. We are here to help people no matter their insurance status.”

Dr. Wofford recently began seeing uninsured patients through the newly formed, non-profit, Project Access West Tennessee (PAWT), which is run in partnership with the Memphis Medical Society through its charitable arm, the Memphis Medical Foundation.

PAWT has care coordinators who organize each step of an uninsured patient’s journey through the healthcare system. If the patient comes to Project Access without a referral from a primary care provider, a care coordinator will screen them for insurance options and help them establish a PCP. If the patient needs specialty care, a care coordinator pairs the patient with a provider, often including diagnostic and follow-up visits.

“Navigating healthcare systems can be daunting,” says PAWT executive director, Nicole Scroggins. “This can especially be true for our uninsured patients who may have been outside the system for some time. Our job is not only to secure them the care they need, but also to follow them throughout the process, providing education, assistance and resources when needed.”

“Often these patients’ entries into the healthcare system are through the emergency department,” Dr. Wofford says. “Focusing on getting these patients preventative care is a huge step in lessening the burden of the emergency department, and the patients will have better outcomes long term.”

PAWT’s success is determined by a network of physicians who are willing to see uninsured patients when called upon to do so. “Try just one patient a month,” says Dr. Wofford. “Seeing one uninsured patient can make an unbelievable impact and think how those numbers could grow if each physician in a large practice took just one.” Dr. Wofford reminds physicians who may be hesitant to volunteer that even seeing commercially insured patients does not mean you will be paid what you charge. “There are sliding scales for everything. And this really makes a difference in our community.”

The icing on the cake? PAWT tracks your service and can award up to 8 hours of CME and track the contributions our community makes to demonstrate impact.

If you know an uninsured patient who needs coordinated care, or if you are a physician interested in getting involved, please call 901-761-0200.

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Board of Directors Q I 2022 Board of2022 Directors How 2020 lead us through 2021 Feature

Physicians leading healthcare in Shelby County

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Chris Pokabla, MD

Andrew Watson, MD

Lisa Usdan, MD

President

Immediate-Past President

President Elect

David Cannon, MD

Dale Criner, MD

Catherine Womack, MD

Treasurer

Vice President

Secretary

QI James Beaty, MD Director-at-Large

Andreana Smith Ex-Officio, Mid-South MGMA President

LaTonya Washington, Ex-Officio, Bluff City Medical Society President

Persico Wofford, MD Director-at-Large

Feature

Christopher Jackson, MD Director-at-Large

Walter Rayford, MD

Desiree BurroughsRay, MD Director-at-Large

James Wang, MD

Kyle Smith, MD

Melanie Woodall, MD

Director-at-Large

Director-at-Large

Diana Alsbrook, MD

Swathi Ganesh

Resident Representative

Director-at-Large

Director-at-Large

Student Representative 13

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Research

UTHSC, Le Bonheur Biorepositories Largest database of people with African ancestry in U.S.A

UTHSC, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital Hold One of Most Diverse Biorepositories in Nation Memphis, a city where 64% of the population is Black, now has one of the largest genetic databases of people with African ancestry in the United States.

This winter, researchers at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, in collaboration with the Regeneron Genetics Center, sequenced the DNA of nearly 10,000 children whose families agreed to participate and who have had blood drawn at Le Bonheur since 2015. More than 44% of the participants are of African ancestry.

“This repository, one of the largest databases in the United States to contain the genetic information of Black Americans linked to their de-identified electronic medical data, is a powerful tool,” said Robert Davis, MD, MPH, director of the UTHSC Center in Biomedical Informatics and the University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Governor’s Chair in Biomedical Informatics.

“It will enable us to study unmet medical needs for conditions like epilepsy, asthma or development delay. By looking at these conditions in people representing a wide variety of ancestries that better reflect populations from around the world, we can better address the diversity of health disparities. By focusing on how specific genetic variations in DNA affect risk for disease, we can potentially devise better treatments for individuals who have those variations.”

Parents gave permission for their children to participate. All genetic and health information was de-identified in accordance with the HIPAA standards for de-identification to help maintain the privacy of all participants.

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The new database holds the potential of helping advance the science of precision medicine, which investigates a patient’s genetic code to pinpoint differences in genes that could make that person more — or less — susceptible to a disease or condition. Researchers can also use the patient’s genetic data to study what treatments may be most effective for such patient.

Of the human genomes collected in repositories around the world, about 79% are from people of European ancestry, making it challenging to use that to understand the genetic contributions to diseases or conditions in other populations.

“This disparity places Black Americans and other underrepresented groups at risk for not benefitting as much from precision medicine initiatives. The goal is to make the potentially lifechanging advantages of genetic analysis available to all people,” said Scott Strome, MD, Robert Kaplan Executive Dean of the UTHSC College of Medicine and vice chancellor for Health Affairs.

“The goal is to help everybody.”

Researchers and clinicians will be able to search the database to test hypotheses,” says Robert Williams, PhD, professor in the College of Medicine and Chair of the UTHSC Department of Genetics, Genomics & Informatics.

“They might say, ‘I have a hypothesis that the differences in Gene X, which may be a calcium channel that is expressed in the brain is critical for the risk of epilepsy, particularly in pediatric cases.’ Now, they can say, ‘Do we see that genetic marker/difference in all populations? Do we see any relationship between this calcium-channel gene and its genetic differences that could produce higher or lower risk for epilepsy, irrespective of population?’”

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Research

Regeneron, which is working to collect a large repository of representative genomic data in order to advance the field of genetics and drive the development of new therapies for diverse populations, sequenced the Le Bonheur samples and shared the resulting data with UTHSC. “Along with our existing dataset, which is one of the most diverse in the world, this data will enable Regeneron to continue searching for clues that can help better understand the genetic contributors to health and disease in diverse populations,” said Timothy Thornton, senior director at the Regeneron Genetics Center. “Addressing the health needs of underserved populations is an effort best achieved through diverse scientific collaborations, and by empowering our collaborators’ research, we are collectively working to address these unmet needs.”

“We appreciate Regeneron’s participation in this project,” Dr. Davis said. “This scientifically focused collaboration has allowed us to take a major step in advancing the vision of precision medicine for the citizens of greater Memphis and ultimately, throughout Tennessee.”

UTHSC expects requests to study the database from across the nation.

“We have processes in place to ensure that this information, provided by the people of the greater Memphis community, will be used appropriately and responsibly,” Dr. Davis said.

In the six years since UTHSC and Le Bonheur began their biorepository, researchers have gathered approximately 25,000 parental permissions.

UTHSC’s goal now is to collect 100,000 DNA samples from across the state, including adults. To do so, it is building alliances with East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tenn., and Regional One Health in Memphis.

“Not everyone who agrees to participate has blood drawn at that time. But when they come back for a clinic visit, if they do happen to have blood drawn, we can start the process of adding their genome to our database,” said Chester Brown, MD, PhD. He holds the St. Jude Chair of Excellence in Genetics at UTHSC and Le Bonheur.

“We expect this database to become even more powerful as it grows.”

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Your Benefits

Scan me for more information.

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Financial Q&A Protecting your investment portfolio

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Financial Q&A

Q. One of my colleagues suggested that my financial portfolio should include an investment in the digital currency (cryptocurrency) market due to the potential for large gains, global liquidity, and accessibility.

Most of the savings I have are invested in my company retirement plan which does not offer access to this type of investment option. I do have an individual brokerage account with funds available to make a purchase. Do you think a cryptocurrency investment would be a wise decision?

A. Before making any investment, you should examine your investment goals. Ask yourself these questions.

What are you investing for? How much risk can you afford to take? What is your investment timeline? I would then suggest that you focus on the building blocks of your financial foundation. Create an adequate emergency fund; maximize your retirement contributions; fill in any insurance gaps (disability income, property and casualty, personal liability, life insurance), and reduce high debt levels. Once your financial foundation is solid, use surplus savings for other investment goals (college funding, vacation, second home, charity, and legacy objectives). The digital currency market is an attractive option for speculators, but the prudent investor should treat a cryptocurrency investment as part of an alternate investment goal, not a building block of financial health.

Potential investors in the digital currency market need to consider several investment fundamentals. To start, a cryptocurrency purchase is an investment in a measure of value or means of payment, not an asset purchase like stock shares in an individual company. Furthermore, a direct investment in cryptocurrency is only available through a cryptocurrency exchange, and shares do not have a physical form but exist as a token on a digital blockchain. Indirect investment options are available but extremely limited at this time due to regulatory difficulties. Investors also need to be mindful of the following: digital currency transactions are unprotected by law and often irreversible, investment profits are treated as capital gains, cryptocurrencies are not universally accepted as a form of payment for goods and services, and price fluctuations can be wildly volatile due to supply and demand pressures, as well as psychological factors.

I would recommend that you consult your advisor(s) for a comprehensive review of your financial wellness.

They can help evaluate your risk tolerance, highlight financial foundation deficiencies, and determine the appropriateness of alternative investments like cryptocurrencies.

William B. Howard, Jr., ChFC, CFP International Place II 6410 Poplar Ave., Suite 330 Memphis, TN 38119 Telephone: 901-761-5068 Fax: 901-761-2217 whoward@whcfa.com

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75% Off

Your TMA Membership Newly-joining members of the Tennessee Medical Association and The Memphis Medical Society will receive 75% off our normal first-year rate, which amounts to roughly $20 a month. Your savings will actually extend two more years at 50% and 25% off each year.

TMA and MMS are the only organizations with the clout to successfully influence laws and regulations that determine how healthcare is delivered in Tennessee.

Our member benefits include: • Dedicated legislative lobbyists

• Financial & investment programs

• Legal guidance

• Business discounts

• Insurance services

• Online CME/CEU courses

• Networking opportunities

• and more

We have multiple ways for you to join. Learn more about how we can bolster your voice in the community.

TNmed.org/Membership 18

2022 Legislative Priorities TMA/MMS focuses on impactful legislation

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Legislation

2022 will be a year of implementing what COVID-19 has taught us and cleaning up some of the messes it has left us.

Scope of Practice This issue is expected to rear its head once again this year, as it has every year since 2014. What is the beef? Tennessee Medical Association, Memphis Medical Society and many other physician groups feel that a physician-led team is still the best environment for patient care in our state because it does not compromise patient safety or quality of care. Furthermore, silos and fragmentation are one of the greatest issues in healthcare today, creating unnecessary waste and fostering poor communication in healthcare systems. Nurse advocacy and physician assistant groups feel that advanced practitioners’ scopes must be expanded to allow for no physician oversight, allegedly allowing those providers to open practices in rural areas. The current laws require physician oversight of any medical clinic opened in our state. Physician groups counter that there is no evidence that expanding scope will prompt any healthcare discipline to move to a rural area and patient safety could be compromised, particularly in more complex cases.

Balance Billing Balance billing, or surprise medical billing, has been an ongoing issue for years. Each one of us has probably received a “surprise” bill from an ED visit, ambulance ride, anesthesia administration, and other sources. Hopefully, we are turning a corner. Around that corner should be a new healthcare environment that protects our patients and fairly reimburses providers.

As you likely saw at the end of 2020, the federal government passed the No Surprises Act as part of the year-end omnibus legislation package. So, why do we need further legislation at the state level? The federal legislation only covered those enrolled in plans covered by ERISA (federal law that establishes minimum standards for federally administered health plans). We need a more comprehensive solution for Tennessee that covers non-ERISA (private) health plans.

TMA leads a coalition of hospital-based physician specialty organizations in protecting patients from narrow networks created by health insurance companies. State-wide listening sessions are being hosted with SB 001/HB 002 sponsors, Sen. Bo Watson and Rep. Robin Smith, as they offer a physician-friendly balance billing solution. Their bill would only require patients to pay according to their in-network responsibility if they receive a surprise medical bill and would allow out-of-network physicians to pursue fair payment from health insurance companies through an independent arbitration process if the initial payment was unsatisfactory.

Telehealth Parity Many of us have already used telehealth as a provider and patient. That utilization has stabilized at levels still thirty-eight times higher than pre-pandemic metric, according to McKinsey.

Yet, equitable reimbursement still remains a challenge for providers. TMA is working with several stakeholder groups to amend or add laws that allow for continued and equitable telehealth reimbursement. This will allow our state to continue its increased access to vital healthcare services.

There will be plenty of other bills to watch for that will impact healthcare, including COVID-19 rules and regulations for businesses and providers, the professional privilege tax, increased coverage to age 35 for breast examinations, and many more. Stay tuned to communication from all of our organizations throughout the session. We will need you!

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Physician Wellness

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Burnout is normal, and we can help you get back on track.

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This hotline is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Our confidential hotline also accepts text messages.

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Some days, you need a warm blanket and a shoulder to cry on. On much harder days, you need a nurse that tells you, “You’re going to make it,” and a team of skilled oncologists with an evidence-based approach to back it up. Our individually-focused expertise detected and removed Vance’s breast cancer, but it was our caring team that truly saved him.

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