TMA Advocacy

The TMA is committed to protecting the interest of physicians and their patients in a number of arenas. Our advocacy happens in the halls of government, in courtrooms, with regulatory and administrative agencies and with insurance payers. Join us as we work to protect the profession of medicine, preserve the physician/patient relationship and enhance the delivery of patient care.

Public Health

The TMA cares about the health of Tennesseans. Our mission is not only to advocate for our member physicians but to set, promote and safeguard the standards for medical knowledge and education, the practice of medicine and the quality of care, as well as the sacred doctor-patient relationship and understanding between physicians and patients. For more information, contact the TMA Public Health Committee or visit our Public Health web page.

See More

	Medical Liability Reform The TMA is committed to maintaining your access to quality care. By improving Tennessee’s medical liability climate, we can keep the doctors we have and even attract more physicians to our state. Two major reforms sought and won by the TMA are already making a difference. A law passed in 2009 to reduce the number of frivolous malpractice lawsuits has done just that, as well as aided in reducing the amount doctors pay for liability insurance. That helps them stay in business and stay in Tennessee, and to continue caring for high-risk patients or performing high-risk procedures without fear of being dragged into court unnecessarily. The following year, the TMA sought and won another law to set reasonable limits on the amount of non-economic or “pain and suffering” damages awarded in tort cases, while preserving full damages for economic costs and impact. The law took effect in October 2011 and is expected to improve the liability climate for physician practices as well as other businesses which, in turn, improves access for patients. The TMA continues to seek common sense reforms and will work to protect its reform successes in the years ahead. Read more about the TMA’s latest reform success.

	Insurance Company Physician Rating Programs The TMA monitors and advocates for physicians with emerging physician rating programs by insurance companies. The claim is that employers are demanding proof of value for what they are buying, however, these programs only consider administrative or claims data received from providers for reimbursement purposes. Neither claims data nor the so-called cost or efficiency ratings can measure patient outcomes. The real data necessary to help determine the quality of the health care lies in the medical record at the doctors’ offices. The TMA believes patients should not rely solely on the ratings of the insurance company when researching information on doctors, and should understand the limited value of physician ratings.

	Disaster Preparedness and Training At the direction of the House of Delegates, the TMA is working with the State Department of Health to enlist physicians for the Tennessee Volunteer Mobilizer, a new web-based system to coordinate medical volunteers during an emergency. We are also urging doctors who register to complete recommended training. We are working to develop resources to help individual practices prepare for an emergency.

	Prescription Safety To help tackle Tennessee’s status as the number one misuser of prescription drugs, the TMA created the Tennessee Foundation for Quality Patient Healthcare. Together with the Tennessee Pharmacy Association, Tennessee Department of Health, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Tennessee Medical Foundation, the TMA has been instrumental in creating the Tennessee Prescription Safety Program, a comprehensive statewide program to track and address the prescription drug problem, identify and re-educate overprescribers and raise awareness among the general public. For more information and access to prescribing classes, please visit www.tnmed.org/education.

	Smoking Ban As a member of CHART (Campaign for a Healthy and Responsible Tennessee), the TMA was a strong supporter of Governor Bredesen’s Smoke-Free Workplace legislation in 2007. The hazards of secondhand smoke in public places and the benefits of a statewide ban are well-documented.

	Helmet Law The TMA lobbies vigorously to support and preserve laws that require critical safety gear, particularly helmets, for those who ride motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles in Tennessee. Discover information on the importance of this equipment to avoid severe or traumatic brain injury.

	Domestic Violence As the state’s largest physician organization, the TMA strongly supports laws and programs aimed at raising awareness and curbing the incidence of domestic violence. This association keeps doctors abreast of new reporting requirements and works with state and private agencies to educate its members about the resources and assistance available to them and their patients.

Legislative

The TMA Government Affairs Division works to advance public policy and legislation that will benefit patient care as well as improve the practice climate for our members. At the direction of the Committee on Legislation, the TMA takes our members’ priorities and concerns directly to state lawmakers. We propose and support important measures and fight to block or mitigate legislation our members feel would be detrimental to the health of Tennesseans.

The division also works directly with lawmakers at the federal level in collaboration with the AMA government affairs team. Members can contact the Government Affairs staff. More resources are available in the Member Center.

Agenda
Successes
Get Involved

2011 Year-End Legislative Summary

Doctor of the Day

A great opportunity to attend hearings, have access to the House and Senate floor and meet individually with legislators on important issues. Watch for the opportunity to sign up beginning in the Fall for the 2012 legislative session.

PITCH
The opportunity to attend Judiciary, Commerce and Health Committee meetings, and schedule one-on-one meetings with legislators.

Political Action Committee / IMPACT
IMPACT is a non-partisan political action committee aimed at the retention and election of pro-medicine representatives. Find out more.

Legal

The TMA offers aggressive pursuit of physician rights in every forum as well as personal access to a multitude of legal services including the online Guide to Law and Practice Management, one of our biggest values to members. We advocate in court, represent physicians on state and federal regulatory boards and committees, and offer compliance guidance, legal consultation,* hospital medical staff and managed care and employment contract assistance.

*Due to its tax-exempt status, the TMA cannot provide legal advice or representation to individual members.

Successes

Our national class action litigation settlements against health insurance plans, in conjunction with other medical associations, have yielded millions dollars in settlement proceeds for physicians and landmark business practice changes by the industry.
The TMA was able to halt audit activity against Tennessee physicians by Health Research Insights, Inc. (HRI), filing suit against unlawful recoupments by the recovery auditor.
Our amicus brief helped win a court ruling that preserves the “Locality Rule” in Tennessee, keeping a local standard of care in medical malpractice actions.

Members are welcome to contact our Legal staff for assistance. More resources and information are available in the Member Center.

Insurance

TMA members have direct access to our experienced staff to help diagnose and treat the problems plaguing your medical practice caused by third-party payers and government insurance programs. Insurance Affairs is a watchdog for physicians with both private and government carriers and keeps members apprised of developments impacting reimbursement and regulation.

Member services: