Archives
-
Texas Family Doc Talk episode 2: The big telemedicine show
By Jonathan Nelson
The second episode of our brand-new podcast, Texas Family Doc Talk, is out and it’s all about telemedicine. As family physicians across the country see their number of patient visits plummet, many are turning to telemedicine in hopes of providing consistent, comprehensive care to their patients while maintaining enough cash flow to keep the doors open.
In the podcast, TAFP CEO Tom Banning and I speak with three experts from Catalyst Health Network in Dallas. Jeff Bullard, MD, chief medical officer for Catalyst, describes the experience of transitioning to virtual care. Trevor Clifton, senior financial analyst for StratiFi Health, discusses financial models for moving most of your visits to telemedicine. And Stephenie Tollett, director of revenue cycle for StratiFi Health, talks with us about third-party contract and claims payment issues for telemedicine.
more -
Hey, we have a podcast: Texas Family Doc Talk!
By Jonathan Nelson
Being locked up in my isolation chamber has its upside. Boredom, it turns out, is the mother of invention. (Thanks, Plato.)
So guess what? Today we watched about 40 YouTube videos and now we know how to make a podcast!
more -
A welcome reminder a long way from home
By Lesca Hadley, MD
On the second day of a spring break medical trip in the mountains of Guatemala, an 87-year-old patient led carefully by her great grandson’s wife entered the schoolroom where I was seeing patients with a UNTHSC medical student, a nursing student, and our Spanish translator. She couldn’t have had another wrinkle on her wizened face. She lived alone on the edge of her village near fields of corn. Everyday she walked her route, selling milk she got from her neighbor to the families in town.
She had delivered milk the previous day, but on this day, she was too weak to stand without help. She had a temperature of 99.5, and she felt hot. Her productive cough was audible. She trembled as our small interprofessional team began to examine her, gently raising her clothing. This was her first time to see a doctor.
more -
C. Frank Webber Lectureship and Interim Session is canceled
After careful consideration, TAFP leadership has decided to cancel the C. Frank Webber Lectureship and Interim Session along with all associated meetings. The health of our members, your patients, and your communities are our top priorities, and keeping you healthy and available to care for others is paramount.
TAFP will issue full refunds to all registrants over the next one to two weeks. If you made a hotel reservation to attend the conference, please contact the hotel at (512) 343-2626 to cancel.
At this time, we expect to host the Texas Family Medicine Symposium in San Antonio as planned, June 5-7, 2020. We will continue to monitor this evolving situation and we will quickly inform you of any changes.
more -
President's Letter
A celebration of family medicine: How Disney literally saved my life
By Javier “Jake” Margo Jr., MD
TAFP PresidentA couple of summers ago, on a rare day off, I was working on a detailed email advocating to keep the electricity on for our not-for-profit community center, when my son James, who was 7 at the time, walked into my office — or as my Harry-Potter-centric friends have dubbed it, the “Room of Requirement,” because anything you need can be found there.
He and I were the only two people in the house since my daughter, Ella, was at Girl Scout Camp and my wife, Lisa, was at work. He had given up trying to teach the cats play catch when he walked in, stopped just short of my elbow, stared silently with his big brown eyes, and asked, “Daddy, will you play with me?”
more -
Houston family practice encounters COVID-19
Lessons learned: A conversation with Clive Fields, MD, of VillageMD
By Jonathan Nelson
In late February, a patient came in to Village Medical in Houston for her annual exam. She had just returned from Egypt. She presented with mild respiratory symptoms and received appropriate treatment. Three days later, she was notified that some of her travel companions had tested positive for COVID-19. Village Medical referred her to the health department, which in turn referred her to the emergency room where she was hospitalized. Four days later, the CDC confirmed the patient had the new coronavirus. The family physician and nurse who cared for her are now quarantined at home for 14 days and others who came in brief contact with her are being monitored for symptoms, including persistent fever.
The experience has caused Clive Fields, MD, chief medical officer and co-founder of VillageMD, to think a lot about how the country’s frontline physicians should be prepared to handle this potential pandemic.
more