Faculty Group Practice Newsletter

UTMB’s capacity to provide the full breadth of vision care continues to grow, as the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences builds upon its team with talented new additions. Ashley Nickens, MD, brings experience with common ophthalmologic conditions like cataracts, macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy.

Navigating a movement disorder can feel overwhelming. Conditions like Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, essential tremor, and Huntington’s disease can deeply affect a person’s mobility, independence, and quality of life. At UTMB Health, patients benefit from expert care delivered with compassion—and conveniently close to home.

The DAX Copilot activity in the Epic Haiku mobile app has a new feature that enables clinicians to capture clinician-patient conversations in Spanish. Clinicians can now seamlessly switch between recording conversations in English and Spanish while providing care during a patient encounter.

Congratulations to Maria A. Rubio, Medical Assistant at the UTMB Lake Jackson Pediatrics Clinic, for being the first to recognize the Dave Bleakney Building in Angleton.

UTMB celebrated National Doctors' Day on Monday, March 31, with breakfast at campus locations as well as gifts for all physicians. This annual event is dedicated to honoring their impact and expressing our deepest gratitude.

Medicare has extended the Telehealth Flexibilities until Sept. 30, 2025. Other payers are starting to make decisions as to how they would like to handle telehealth. It is very important that when completing a telehealth visit, the TELEHEALTH NOTE is used. Using the telehealth note will bring up the proper documentation elements and add the appropriate telehealth modifier and place of service.

A new community-based clinic is opening its doors this month in Lake Jackson, bringing accessible and high-quality primary and urgent care services to the region. The clinic is staffed by a team of highly experienced and compassionate providers, each bringing unique strengths and deep commitment to patient-centered care.

There is no shortage of reasons for individuals who smoke to consider quitting. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease, death, and disability in the United States, affecting nearly every organ of the body. In the four years since UTMB’s Department of Otolaryngology launched its tobacco cessation program, patients have entered with a wide variety of motivations, but one thing in common: the desire to quit.

Welcome to UTMB Health!

March is Social Work Month, a time for us to honor and celebrate our UTMB social workers' remarkable influence!

Each year on National Doctors' Day, we recognize the outstanding work our doctors do to improve health and well-being. UTMB will celebrate the occasion on Monday, March 31, with recognition events at our hospital campuses and special gifts for physicians across the institution.

Starting Jan. 1, 2025, the documentation requirements for Telehealth services were updated to support mental/behavioral Telehealth services billing.

Osteoarthritis-related chronic knee pain can significantly impact daily life—limiting mobility, disrupting sleep, and reducing overall quality of life. UTMB’s Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology now offers Geniculate Artery Embolization (GAE)—a state-of-the-art, image-guided procedure that directly targets knee inflammation, providing long-lasting pain relief for osteoarthritis patients.

The Department of Anesthesiology at UTMB welcomed a new leader in January, as Marcos F. Vidal Melo, MD, PhD, began his tenure as Chair. With a strong background in cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesiology, academic medicine, and a broad understanding of challenges and opportunities within the specialty, he is eager to elevate the department across all of UTMB’s mission areas.

When it comes to opening and operating health care clinics, UTMB’s Ambulatory Operations leadership draws from a strong history of bringing expert care into the communities they serve. This experience and success have served the team well in opening the UTMB Health Friendswood Primary and Specialty Care Clinic.

Congratulations to Kelly O’Donnell, MSN, RN, OCN, Nurse Manager for Ambulatory Operations, for being the first to recognize the waiting area at the Texas City Adult and Pediatric Primary Care Clinic.

Welcome to UTMB Health!

Dr. Aimee Jackson recently joined UTMB as Senior Director of Clinical and Administrative Operations for Regional Women’s Services and Pediatrics (RWSP). She brings three decades of valuable health care experience to the role. Dr. Jackson graciously took the time to discuss her return to UTMB and share more about herself.

When co-surgeries and assistant surgeries are performed, it is very important that it is documented correctly so the appropriate modifiers can be added. Also, not all CPT codes can be billed as a co-surgery or an assistant surgery. Observing does not qualify as a co-surgery or an assistant surgery.

Congratulations to four UTMB providers recognized for consistently delivering exceptional patient care. United Healthcare presents the United Hero Award based on high patient satisfaction scores in key categories.