Texas Hospital Association

11/21/2025

Today’s annual THAnksgiving Luncheon was all about celebrating the people who make our mission possible. 🤝✨

We honored employees across the organization for their service and commitment to supporting Texas hospitals and the communities they serve. From new faces to long-tenured team members, your dedication fuels our impact, and we’re grateful for every one of you.

The luncheon also featured a special guest – incoming THA Board Chair Cris Daskevich, CEO of CHRISTUS Children’s – who shared a sneak peek of her vision for 2026. Big things ahead, and we can’t wait to share them with you.

11/21/2025

The holidays are here, but so is respiratory-virus season – and, if we don't take preventative measures, the two can go hand-in-hand. 🍂🤧

Check out quick tips to help you stay healthy throughout the holidays now on The Scope: https://ow.ly/l1C750XvTPi

11/20/2025

Without federal action, Texas patients will be hit hard with soaring health insurance costs. THA continues to urge Congress to renew enhanced premium tax credits. If lawmakers fail to act, the consequences will be felt in Texas hospitals, clinics and communities.

THA's Carrie Kroll spoke to Fox 7 in Austin this week for a story warning of the implications for Texas if Congress allows the enhanced premium tax credits for federal Health Insurance Marketplace plans to expire at the end of 2025. Texas already has the nation's highest rate of uninsured. Fox 7 notes recent projections that indicate letting these credits lapse could further raise the state's uninsured rate by 27% – and hike average out-of-pocket premiums by 115%.

🔗 See the full interview here:

The enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits, which helped millions of Texans afford health insurance, are set to expire, threatening to significantly raise the state's already high uninsured rate unless Congress acts by mid-December.

11/20/2025

On , THA thanks the 127 rural Texas hospitals and the health care workers who power them.

Rural hospitals are essential to the health care safety net, ensuring Texans can access the care they need close to home. These hospitals embody the and demonstrate what it means to deliver compassionate, community-driven care across Texas.

🔗 See the infographic from the American Hospital Association for key facts and figures on rural hospitals and their impact here: https://ow.ly/EOq350XuTlq

11/18/2025

In honor of season two of the hit Paramount+ show Landman premiering earlier this week, we wanted to share a fun fact that hits close to home.

Did you know one of Texas’ rural hospitals was featured as the set for several key scenes in the show’s first season? 🏥✨

Read the full story about how Faith Community Hospital made its Hollywood debut here:

When Hollywood – and one of TV’s preeminent creators of this decade – came to Faith Community Hospital in Jacksboro, the facility pulled off a notable feat: switching between medical setting and television filming location with little warning. Over a handful of days last February and May, Tayl...

11/17/2025

𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified a multi-state outbreak of infant botulism associated with the contamination of ByHeart Whole Nutrition powdered infant formula.

As of Nov. 14, there are 23 reported cases across 13 states – including Texas – and all lot numbers and sizes of this product have been recalled. Caregivers and health care providers are asked to discontinue use, stay aware, take precautions and alert their local health department for suspected or diagnosed cases.

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄:

🔵 Watch for symptoms in infants such as constipation, weak cry or muscle tone, poor feeding, loss of head control or breathing difficulties – especially if ByHeart formula was used.

🔵 Clean and sanitize feeding areas and equipment that may have been exposed.

🔵 Practice safe preparation and handling powdered infant formula and follow all manufacturer guidelines.

Read the full CDC alert: https://ow.ly/nMUY50Xtb93

11/17/2025

𝗜𝗖𝗬𝗠𝗜: The 2026 THA Leadership Fellows cohort is already making moves. Last week, the newest cohort completed the first of four modules, officially kicking off the nine-month program.

Over two full days, Fellows hit the ground running with icebreakers, introductions to THA and an overview of the legislative and regulatory process, as well as the cornerstone of the THA Leadership Fellows program – the capstone project kick-off.

The class of 2026 begins on the heels of a turbulent legislative session for Texas hospitals but enters the year with an opportunity to build on this year’s work in preparation for the 90th legislative session in 2027.

“Each new cohort brings together leaders from diverse backgrounds, hospital types, geographies and areas of expertise, offering fresh perspectives on the complex issues facing hospital leadership and the industry today,” said Lindsay Thompson, vice president of education and governance programs at THA.

11/17/2025

🔦 𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁: The oldest operating rural hospital in Texas took a “once-in-a-generation" opportunity to update the existing building with updated technology and facilities.

However, amid budget deficits, rising expenses and other issues increasingly affecting rural hospitals, the hospital board at Onley Hamilton Hospital made the difficult decision to break ground on a new facility by cutting the cost of its most expensive service: delivering babies.

🔗 Read more from the Texas Tribune:

Olney Hamilton Hospital joins the nearly 60% of rural Texas hospitals that do not deliver babies, leaving large swaths of the state without a nearby place to give birth.

11/14/2025

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸, 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗝𝗮𝗻. 𝟯𝟬, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝘂𝘁𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗢𝗰𝘁. 𝟭.

In exchange for the votes of seven Democrats and one independent, Senate GOP leadership agreed to schedule a December vote on extending the enhanced premium tax credits tied to federal Health Insurance Marketplace plans. These boosted Affordable Care Act health premium subsidies are currently set to expire Dec. 31.

The deal freshly delays the implementation of three fiscal years' worth of Medicaid Disproportionate Share Cuts until Jan. 30, even though the DSH cuts began kicking in when the shutdown commenced. In Texas alone, the implementation of DSH cuts resulted in over $300 million in reductions last month after the prior delay expired.

The continuing resolution also postpones a Medicare sequestration cut for hospital services of up to 4% and reauthorizes several key initiatives for hospitals and health care, including:

🔘 The Low-Volume Adjustment and Medicare-Dependent Hospital programs, which are both crucial for rural facilities;

🔘 The Acute Hospital Care at Home Program, a pandemic-era initiative that allows eligible patients to be treated at home; and

🔘 Expanded Medicare telehealth flexibilities, another product of the pandemic which has improved access to virtual care.

11/12/2025

Nonprofit hospitals in Texas provide billions of dollars each year in charity care and community benefit programs that protect financially and physically vulnerable residents – 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚.

🔗🩺 Read how these programs provide a boost to Texas’ health infrastructure, and why our state is a national leader on charity care and community benefit this week on The Scope: https://ow.ly/JtUX50XqHtX

11/11/2025

THA is celebrating by honoring four Texas hospital leaders for their service in health care and to our country. 🇺🇸

🔴 Noel Cárdenas
SVP and CEO, Memorial Hermann Pearland and Southeast Hospitals

🔵 Kristin Dyer
CFO, Medical City Healthcare

🔴 Dr. Chris Glanton
CMO, Peterson Health

🔵 Richard “Rick” Humphrey
CFO, Parkland Health

Please join THA in thanking these veterans – and all who have served – for their commitment and sacrifice. 🔗 Read more about these veterans on The Scope: https://ow.ly/5HNn50XqaOu

11/10/2025

🔦 𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁: On Nov. 3, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission submitted the state’s application for a share of the $50 billion federal Rural Health Transformation Fund. HHSC accepted public input from various advocates during the development of its application, including rural health leaders.

“Right now, ‘sustainability’ and ‘survival’ would be the words I use before ‘transformation,’” said Terry Scoggin, the interim CEO and president of the rural hospital organization TORCH. “Get us through two years of this, then let’s start talking about transformation.”

🔗 Read more from the Texarkana Gazette:
https://ow.ly/elht50XpCkc