Table of Contents: January 2016



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Volume 112, Number 1 — January 2016 

COVER STORY (pages 28-35) 

Pain Rules Are a Pain for Doctors
Some physicians say following TMB's revised chronic pain rules makes it difficult to treat patients with chronic pain. One Texas physician says complying with the rules has been "highly destructive to my clinic already." By Joey Berlin

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS (pages 37-42)

Message Received
Thanks to advocacy by TMA's Medicaid Congress and cooperation from new Medicaid leadership, relief from Medicaid's administrative roadblocks may finally be in sight. By Amy Lynn Sorrel

EDUCATION (pages 45-50)

Seizing Opportunity
TMA and other organizations hosted a forum to help hospitals, medical schools, and others take advantage of $53 million in grant money to create new residency training slots. By Amy Lynn Sorrel

PUBLIC HEALTH (pages 53-57)

A Chance to Help
The TMA Council on Science and Public Health is studying a proposed resolution to raise awareness of human trafficking and inform physicians about helpful resources to identify and aid victims. By Joey Berlin

PRACTICE MANAGEMENT (pages 59-63)

Going by the Book
The New Year is the perfect time to conduct an office policies and procedures manual makeover as HHS plans a new round of HIPAA audits in early 2016. By Joey Berlin

DEPARTMENTS

Inbox (page 6)
Fact (page 9)
Focus On: Contract negotiations (page 11)
Commentary: Compliance Can Be a Dirty Word By Tom Garcia, MD (pages 13-14)
Commentary: A Cry for Help By Maggie Ward, MD, and Swati Avashia, MD (pages 17-18)
Rounds (pages 19-27)
Deaths (page 25)
Author Guidelines (page 58)
FAQ (page 64)

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