TOA’s 2020 Annual Conference
Click here for the latest info for our upcoming 2020 Annual Conference. Sponsorship details are coming soon!
TOA News Feed
TOA Supports HB 1005’s Efforts to Strengthen Medical Causation Reports
TOA issued support for HB 1005 by State Rep. Nicole Collier, which would direct Workers’ Compensation carriers to reimburse physicians for medical causation narrative reports. Bobby Hillert, TOA’s executive director, stated: “The medical causation report is an important tool that helps injured workers receive the care that they need. It is critical to have qualified…
TOA Asks Lawmakers to Fund the Prescription Monitoring Program Licenses
The Texas Orthopaedic Association (TOA) is encouraging Texas lawmakers rely on the Legislature’s supplemental funding package to fund the Texas State Board of Pharmacy’s request to acquire physician licenses to access the prescription monitoring program (PMP) database. The September 1, 2019 mandate for physicians to check the PMP is seven months away, and it is…
Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen Announced the Committee Assignments
Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen announced the committee assignments for the 86th Texas Legislature today. Click here to view the assignments.
Texas Legislature’s Committee Releases Prescription Monitoring Program Recommendations
The Texas Legislature created a joint committee of the two bodies following the 2017 Legislature to address the future of the state’s September 1, 2019 mandate for physicians to check the state’s prescription monitoring program (PMP) before prescribing certain drugs. The committee, which is co-chaired by Senator Charles Schwertner, MD (R-Georgetown) and Representative JD Sheffield,…
TOA Comments on Medicare’s Back and Knee Brace Proposal
The Texas Orthopaedic Association (TOA) submitted feedback on December 17, 2018 that expresses concern regarding the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposal to add back and knee braces to Medicare’s new round of competitive bidding. TOA expressed concern that this could limit the number of physicians who would be able to provide these…
Texas House Select Committee Releases Opioid Findings
The Texas House Select Committee on Opioids and Substance Abuse released its report on December 3, 2018. The committee is chaired by Rep. Four Price of Amarillo. An additional select committee, which is co-chaired by Senator Charles Schwertner, MD and Rep. JD Sheffield, DO, is expected to release a report on the state’s prescription monitoring…
Medicare Unveils Price Procedure Lookup Tool for ASCs and HOPDs
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced the Price Procedure Lookup tool, which allows consumers to compare the prices of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs), on November 27. The tool was created in January 2017 by the 21st Century Cures Act. Click here to learn more from CMS.
TOA’s Getting to Know: John Hinchey, MD of San Antonio
John W. Hinchey, MD recently joined Ortho San Antonio and recently sat down with TOA to conduct a Q&A to discuss his thoughts on the future of orthopaedics in Texas. Dr. Hinchey received his undergraduate degree from Southern Methodist University. He later attended The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) for…
Texas Medicaid Proposes New Opioid Limits
The Texas Medicaid Vendor Drug Program has proposed a policy that would apply morphine equivalent dose (MED) limits per day and seven-day limits on opioids opioids that are used to treat acute pain in the state’s Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs). The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is accepting comments until November 14,…