Council on Constitution and
Bylaws. The council
shall be a fact-finding and advisory body on matters pertaining to the
Constitution and Bylaws. The council shall be responsible for long-range
organizational planning. Recommendations may be made at the council’s
initiative. Appropriate matters may be referred to the council by the House of
Delegates, Board of Trustees, the president, other councils and committees, and
individual county societies.
Council on
Health Care Quality. The
council shall (1) proactively provide a physician role in the establishment of
policy surrounding the clinical and attributive aspects of quality improvement,
patient safety, and performance measurement; (2) provide education and
resources via establishment of localized Quality and Patient Safety Centers of
Excellence, more CME offerings, and
expanded TMA quality and patient safety websites; (3) prepare physicians for
the upcoming quality/value-based reimbursement challenges by addressing
physicians’ clinical responsibility and how the new changes will affect their
practice of medicine; (4) educate physicians regarding opportunities to use
federal and state incentives to improve their patient outcomes; (5) advocate to
the state and federal government regarding impediment(s) that small practices
face in implementing quality improvement, patient safety, and performance
measurement, and provide recommendations wherever possible; and (6) provide a
forum for all the stakeholders in Texas that encourages quality improvement and
improved patient safety via evidence-based, transparent, and standardized
performance measurement and methodologies.
Council on Health Promotion. The council shall plan and
oversee programs and activities that enable TMA, TMA Alliance, and TMA
Foundation to improve the health of all Texans. The council shall be composed
of nine TMA member physicians, three alliance members, and three members
representing the TMA Foundation.
Council on Health Service
Organizations. The
council shall study, make recommendations, and initiate activities related to
the organization and services of all facilities utilized in the continuum of
health care services including emergency service units, ambulatory surgery
centers, hospitals, and skilled nursing, long-term care and assisted living,
hospice, home care, and other treatment facilities. The council shall recommend
policy and conduct appropriate activities in the areas of medical staff
governance and physician relations with the administration and governing boards
of health care institutions, accreditation and licensure of facilities, and
provision of care across the continuum. The council also shall represent the
association in its relationships with organizations and agencies concerned with
the problems of aging and shall promote education in geriatrics.
Council on Legislation. The council shall concern
itself with legislative matters on both the state and national level. The
council shall report to the House of Delegates and/or the Board of Trustees,
and shall act as the association’s representative in carrying out legislative
policy as established by those bodies. When legislative questions arise between
sessions of the House of Delegates and/or the Board of Trustees, the Council on
Legislation shall have the authority to establish interim legislative positions
for the association. The council shall receive all reports and recommendations
dealing with legislation from boards, councils, and committees and shall have
the responsibility of implementing those recommendations subsequently adopted
as association policy.
Council on Medical Education. The council shall (1)
coordinate the association’s medical education activities; (2) study and make
recommendations on the content of and opportunities for physician education
programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels; (3) evaluate and accredit continuing
medical education programs; (4) develop programs that provide for adequate
numbers of appropriately trained physicians and allied health personnel in the
state; (5) encourage careers in medicine and allied health fields, and monitor
trends in allied health professional categories
and determine their appropriateness; (6) evaluate
licensure provisions; (7) utilize appropriate association resources to enhance
and promote quality medical education in the state; and (8) maintain liaison
and promote understanding between the association and Texas medical students,
interns, and residents.
Council on Practice Management
Services. The council
shall oversee all association practice management services provided directly to
physicians and their staff.
Council on Science and Public
Health. The purposes of
this council shall be to (1) advance the scientific basis of medical practice;
(2) anticipate high-priority public health and medical science issues and
develop policy on these issues; (3) advance the Association as a leader in
medical science and public health advocacy; (4) provide physicians with
evidence-based public health and scientific information and; (5) communicate
Association policy and expertise on public health and medical science.
Council on Socioeconomics. The council shall study,
make recommendations on, and engage in appropriate activities related to the
socioeconomic aspects of medical care; specifically, those concerned with (1)
delivery systems, regulations, and controls imposed by government and other
third parties; (2) health planning; (3) insurance; (4) reimbursement
mechanisms; (5) quality review; and (6) data management. The council shall
maintain liaison with private and governmental agencies involved in medical
socioeconomic matters.
Committee on Cancer. The purposes of this
committee shall be to (1) supervise any activities of the Texas Medical
Association related to cancer; (2) inaugurate and promote educational movements
among physicians and the public for the control of cancer; and (3) advise on
cooperative activities with other groups and agencies having an interest in the
field.
Committee on Child and Adolescent
Health. The purposes of
this committee shall be to (1) focus on issues relating to children and
adolescents including those with disabilities; (2) serve as the association’s
source of advice concerning children and adolescent health problems; (3)
provide liaison and cooperative activities with other professional and lay
groups working in this field; (4) promote policies that encourage the
development of healthy youth; and (5) define problems and make recommendations
concerning the quantity, quality, and utilization of health care services for
these groups.
Committee on Continuing Education. The committee shall (1)
monitor and study trends and issues in continuing medical education and
recommend TMA policy as needed; (2) promote high- quality continuing medical
education programs for physicians throughout the state; (3) review and evaluate
the continuing medical education needs of Texas physicians; (4) monitor the
planning, development, evaluation, and designation of credit hours for all
association activities carrying Category 1 credit of the Physician’s
Recognition Award of the American Medical Association; (5) maintain the
association’s continuing medical education program standards as required by the
Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education; and (6) administer the
association’s voluntary accreditation and joint sponsorship programs.
Committee on
Emergency Medical Services and Trauma. The purposes of the committee shall be to (1) work with
all parties in the formulation, initiation, and maintenance of community plans
for emergency medical services leading to statewide coverage; (2) provide
liaison between the Texas medical community and government agencies concerned
with emergency medical care;
(3) educate and inform Texas physicians on the
developments in emergency medical services at national and state levels; (4)
identify and review state health programs relating to emergency medical
services, injury prevention, and trauma care; (5) participate in, and provide
physician
input to, these state health programs; (6) maintain
liaison with government agencies devoted to preparation and execution of plans
in the event of any occurrence of catastrophic proportions, and educate Texas
physicians about plans for medical care in disaster situations; (7) study,
evaluate, and make recommendations regarding trauma and related problems,
including accidents and physical abuse resulting in trauma; and (8) study,
evaluate, and make recommendations regarding the development and funding of a
statewide trauma system.
Committee on Infectious Diseases. The purposes of this
committee shall be to (1) conduct activities that will educate the profession
and the public on the prevalence, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of
infectious diseases, including but not limited to sexually transmitted
diseases, HIV, tuberculosis, and other emergent infectious agents; (2) monitor
and report on the effectiveness of local, state, and national disease control
programs; (3) cooperate with the Texas Department of State Health Services and
other medical and lay organizations involved in control programs; and (4)
monitor and develop appropriate legislation with regard to infectious diseases.
Interspecialty Society Committee. The committee shall be
composed of delegates and alternate delegates to the House of Delegates from
the specialty societies. The committee shall provide its member societies and
other specialty societies an entity to which legislative, social, economic, and
professional concerns may be presented and transmitted to the House of Delegates
or other appropriate bodies of the association through reports to the Board of
Trustees. The committee shall serve as a consultant to specialty societies. The
committee shall serve as a source of informed comment on issues referred to it
by association bodies, and shall facilitate communications between the
association and specialty societies.
Committee on Medical Home and
Primary Care. The
purposes of this committee shall be to (1) promote the medical home and
integration of primary care, community care, and public health;
(2) facilitate communication between physicians of
all specialties on issues related to primary care; (3) monitor developments in
the regulation of primary care and the medical home and serve as a liaison with
local and state government bodies which affect physician practices; (4) monitor
and study patient outreach techniques and new options for communication with
patients; (5) and serve as a resource for advice and expert information
relating to various aspects of primary care delivery and emerging medical and
health homes.
Committee on Membership. The committee shall have 15
members: One member shall be appointed from each of the eight component county
societies with the largest number of members; three members shall be appointed to
represent other county societies. The TMA president shall appoint a member from
the Young Physician Section, International Medical Graduate Section, Resident
and Fellow Section, and Medical Student Section.
The committee shall provide guidance in the development
of annual and long-term membership recruitment and retention programs. The
committee shall coordinate with and be supportive of the membership activities
of county medical societies and the American Medical Association.
Patient-Physician Advocacy
Committee. The committee
shall assess quality of medical care in the State of Texas and recommend
regulatory, legislative, and legal approaches to assure that the highest
standard of quality medical care is available for all Texans. The committee
shall serve as a source of advice on quality assurance, utilization review, and
other quality issues; develop and recommend policy; establish and maintain
liaison with groups with similar interests; and serve in an advocacy role for
physicians and patients on issues related to quality assurance, utilization
review, and other forms of review.
Committee on Physician
Distribution and Health Care Access. The committee shall (1) monitor the pipelines that
prepare physicians for the state’s workforce and analyze trends for physician
demographics and practice characteristics; (2) identify the forces affecting
the distribution of physicians and other critical health care professionals,
and impediments in accessing medical care; (3) monitor
the incentive and support programs
for physicians seeking
practice opportunities in
medically underserved areas; (4) monitor the distribution and employment trends
for non- physician practitioners and other high-priority health professionals;
and (5) serve as a resource for
information on physician workforce trends.
Committee on Physician Health and
Wellness. It shall be
the duty of this committee to promote healthy lifestyles in Texas physicians
and to identify, strongly urge evaluation and treatment of, and review rehabilitation
provided to physicians with potentially impairing conditions and impairments.
The committee shall be required to report its activities to the Board of
Councilors. The committee shall maintain liaison with the Texas Medical Board
and the Texas Physician Health Program. The committee also shall be responsible
for making recommendations to the Council on Legislation in instances where
there are needed changes in the laws relative to physician wellness and
potentially impairing conditions. The committee shall provide responsible
advocacy and support, provide education on physician health and wellness
topics, and promote prevention of potentially impairing conditions.
Committee on Reproductive,
Women’s, and Perinatal Health. The purposes of this committee shall be to: (1) address issues related
to reproductive, women’s, and perinatal health; (2) review laws, regulations,
and activities that have an impact on reproductive, women’s, and perinatal
health in the state; (3) serve as the association’s source of advice concerning
reproductive health, women’s health, and perinatal health issues; (4)
collaborate with other professional organizations and governmental agencies
working in these areas; and (5) study issues prioritized by the committee and
make recommendations related to activities, policy, and education.
Committee on Rural Health. This committee shall work
toward the improvement of rural health in general. In addition, it shall review
and comment on laws, regulations, and other governmental activities that have
an impact on the practice of medicine in rural areas; develop concepts and
proposals that will specifically address the needs of rural areas; monitor and
evaluate the problems of small and rural hospitals; educate physicians and the public
on the status of physicians, support facilities, and support personnel in rural
areas of Texas; and maintain liaison with groups having similar interests.
