TMA’s Board of Trustees (BoT) convened in Nashville Nov. 1 for the fall 2025 quarterly meeting. The Board approved the 2026 TMA operating budget, discussed significant changes to the association’s Annual Meeting and prepared for upcoming strategic initiatives. Physician leaders from around the state attended, in addition to TMA’s executive staff and regional leaders.

A balanced draft budget was presented and approved at the fall meeting. The budget includes a surplus due to the increase in revenue from new educational grants.

The BoT approved changes to the format of the 2026 Annual Meeting and House of Delegates (HOD) to encourage greater participation and engagement from members. The day-long meeting on Saturday will see the most significant modifications. Attendees can still expect awards ceremonies, regional caucuses, the president’s installation and the House of Delegates at next year’s meeting. New additions include an Issues Forum and Resolution Review Session. The goal of these structural changes is to make TMA’s policy formation process more engaging and inclusive.

Strategic initiatives were worked on during the Nov. 1 meeting that will shape not only the future of TMA, but also the practice of medicine in Tennessee. Topics included:

• Legislative Initiatives: TMA outlined plans for a comprehensive health payer bill to address medical determinations, prior authorizations and automatic downcodings. TMA will also seek legislative remedy for low pay for providers for TennCare services.
• Know More/No More Launch: The recently launched Know More/No More campaign, a new opioid prescribing course, was reviewed and promoted by TMA staff. The group also discussed an upcoming public health campaign aimed at addressing stigma around substance use disorder and providing resources for both medical professionals and patients.
• Long-range Planning: The Board approved initial plans to conduct a broader long-range planning exercise to help focus the TMA on critical initiatives and organization design to bolster TMA operations, relevance and efficacy. This scope of this exercise will be broader than the Board of Trustees and include key stakeholder physician audiences.

The next Board of Trustees meeting is slated for Jan. 10, 2026 at the TMA headquarters in Nashville. For questions or more information, reach out to TMA’s Director of Executive Services and Governance, Amy Campoli, at amy.campoli@tnmed.org.