Support the practice of medicine, physician-led care, and patient safety.

Removing Texas Doctors from the Health Care Team Would Be Harmful and Costly

Removing physician oversight from the health care team is NOT the answer to helping patients in underserved and rural areas. In fact, studies have found negative consequences in federal programs and in states where physician oversight has been removed, including that:

• Patient safety suffers;
• Health care costs go up;
• Access to care does not improve; and
• Access to quality care is undermined.
 
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Better Solutions

Removing physicians from the health care team is not the answer. Instead, TMA supports these solutions to ensure high quality care in underserved and rural areas of Texas:

Boost funding for rural loan repayment programs for physicians who practice in underserved areas, primary care residency tracks, and graduate medical education.
Expand the use of telemedicine to help patients continue care with their physician.
Require health insurers to include accessible medical specialists in their networks.
Improve universal broadband access throughout Texas.

Education Matters

Scope-of-Practice Expansion Does Not Solve Access-to-Care Shortages