March 20, 2020
Doctors Launch Nationwide Initiative to Improve Care During COVID-19 Pandemic
The Texas Medical Association (TMA) joined The Physicians Foundation, American Medical Association, Florida Medical Association, and Massachusetts Medical Society in launching The Telehealth Initiative to help physicians start telehealth care. With the current health crisis, the organizations sped the initiative’s launch to help physicians shift to telehealth to meet patients’ needs from their homes where they cannot transmit COVID-19 or other diseases to other people.
The COVID-19 pandemic reinforces the need for physicians’ access to practical resources that will enable them to operate telehealth services to care for their patients efficiently. Through The Telehealth Initiative, physicians are able to diagnose and direct patients efficiently and safely, while improving patient outcomes.
“Physicians know how important it is for us to give our patients the option of obtaining safe, high-quality medical care digitally,” said David C. Fleeger, MD, president of TMA. “TMA wants to provide tools and pragmatic guidance for physicians, so that we can embrace telemedicine and appropriately offer it to our existing patients and maintain continuity of care.”
The program helps participating physicians redesign their practices to successfully provide telehealth services to their patients. Additionally, the initiative is providing free, online access to resources to encourage all physicians to consider and launch telehealth services. The Telehealth Initiative’s resources for physicians include:
“The generous grant from The Physicians Foundation allows TMA to accelerate our work and get this information to physicians quickly, which is vital as we see COVID-19 take its grip on the public’s daily routine,” Dr. Fleeger added.
TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation, representing more than 53,000 physician and medical student members. It is located in Austin and has 110 component county medical societies around the state. TMA’s key objective since 1853 is to improve the health of all Texans.
About The Physicians Foundation
The Physicians Foundation is a nonprofit seeking to advance the work of practicing physicians and help them facilitate the delivery of high-quality health care to patients. As the health care system in America continues to evolve, The Physicians Foundation is steadfast in its determination to strengthen the physician-patient relationship and assist physicians in sustaining their medical practices in today’s practice environment. It pursues its mission through a variety of activities including grant-making, research, white papers and policy studies. Since 2005, the Foundation has awarded numerous multi-year grants totaling more than $50 million. In addition, the Foundation focuses on the following core areas: physician leadership, physician wellness, physician practice trends, social determinants of health and the impact of health care reform on physicians and patients. For more information, visit www.physiciansfoundation.org.
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Contact: Brent Annear (512) 370-1381; cell: (512) 656-7320
Marcus Cooper(512) 370-1382; cell: (512) 650-5336