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MD Health Pathways pitches TAP telehealth to Cary, proposes utility-bill funding
Summary
A representative from MD Health Pathways presented TAP telehealth to the Village of Cary Committee of the Whole on July 15, outlining a plan to fund text-and‑video access to U.S.-licensed clinicians through a utility-bill line item and answering trustees' questions about cost, opt-out and service scope.
Brian Davis, a presenter with MD Health Pathways, told the Village of Cary Committee of the Whole on July 15 that his company’s TAP telehealth product would let residents “text a doctor, have a FaceTime interaction with a doctor from 7AM to 10PM, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.”
Davis said the company proposes funding the service through a monthly line item on the village utility bill. “This is gonna sound like a wonderful program, and you're gonna say, what's the catch? The catch is that you have to pay for it,” he told trustees, adding that MD Health Pathways typically charges $9 per household per month but offers a $6 promotional rate for some participating municipalities.
The presentation described the service as U.S.-based clinicians licensed to prescribe in the patient’s state, a 10-digit text number for members, and a backend that retains prescription history tied to a preferred pharmacy. Davis said the company handles follow‑up text contacts and that clinicians can convert to a FaceTime visit if needed. He cited examples from other cities, including a stated 20% reduction in EMS dispatch in one small Texas city and use cases where clinicians coordinated urgent transfers to an emergency department.
Why it matters: trustees and staff said the program could expand access to urgent care and reduce costly ER visits, but they also raised implementation, legal and equity questions. Trustees pressed whether elderly residents without smartphones could use the service, how medication histories and drug‑interaction checks would be handled, and whether non‑English languages were supported.
Davis replied that clinicians would be licensed in the user’s state and that the platform integrates prescription history with participating pharmacy data; he said texts in languages other than English would be translated for clinicians and translated back for the user. He also said the company offers a 90‑day refund window for early opt‑outs and proposed a five‑year municipal agreement with lower introductory rates for the first two years.
Trustees repeatedly raised procedural and legal concerns. Trustee Stefani and others said they opposed a default “opt‑out” enrollment for all utility customers unless residents could opt in instead; several trustees asked staff to research how similar programs had been rolled out in other Illinois municipalities and whether non‑home rule status affects the village’s authority to add a utility bill line item or similar funding mechanism.
The village attorney noted differences between Illinois home‑rule and non‑home‑rule units and recommended legal review; trustees asked staff to contact municipalities using or launching the service for performance and adoption data. Brian Davis said Algonquin, Ill., is piloting a community health improvement program that includes TAP and that MD Health Pathways is working with other McHenry County municipalities and several Texas and South Carolina communities.
Next steps: trustees asked staff to pursue due diligence, gather comparative data from municipalities already using the service, obtain legal analysis on funding via utility bill for a non‑home‑rule village, and report back to the board. No formal vote was taken; staff and the presenter agreed to follow up with contact information and references.
Ending: Cary trustees thanked the presenter and asked the village administration to continue outreach and legal review before any decision about adopting TAP telehealth or a similar program.
