Tap Telehealth in Garland
Tap Telehealth connects patients to quality healthcare. In just a few minutes, our doctors can assess your symptoms, recommend treatments, and even send prescriptions to your local pharmacy.
We’re here to remove barriers to care, empowering patients to take charge of their health with just a tap.
We understand you may have questions
We understand you may have questions about Tap Telehealth appearing on your utility bill – and we appreciate that.
For nearly 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of caring for Garland families, including my time on staff at your local hospital before it closed. That closure left a painful gap in our community’s healthcare access, and I’ve watched families struggle with impossible choices:
- overwhelming ER visits for simple issues
- urgent care centers with hours-long waits, or
- suffering through the night because help feels out of reach.
That’s why I’m bringing to Garland the same service I’ve quietly provided my own friends and family for two decades: real medical guidance through simple text messages, available when you actually need it.
While other services require appointments weeks out, complex apps, or connecting you to random call center doctors who don’t know our community, we’ve partnered with the City of Garland to offer something different – direct access to me and my team of physicians who know and have served your community for years.
When your child wakes up with a fever while you’re getting everyone ready for school, or you develop that painful UTI on a Sunday evening, you simply text us like you would a trusted friend who happens to be a doctor. Within minutes, not hours or days, we can assess your situation, provide guidance, and when appropriate, call in affordable prescriptions to your neighborhood pharmacy.
This isn’t about adding another fee – it’s about ensuring no family in Garland has to face the healthcare desert left by the hospital closure alone, bringing back that security of knowing a doctor who knows you is just a text away.
–
President & CEO, MD Health Pathways
“This was our first time using a telehealth service!
This saved me soooo many trips into the doctors office.”
-TROUP RESIDENT
Frequently
asked questions
Frequently asked questions
The City of Garland has partnered with MD Health Pathways to provide residents with convenient access to Tap Telehealth. Every household in Garland will automatically be included so no family is left out—but the choice is always yours. If you prefer not to participate, you can easily opt out.
A pilot program with 10,000 residents is expected to launch in October 2025. More information will be released as it becomes available.
Care during the pilot program will be available every day from 8:00 AM – 10:00 PM, including weekends and holidays. No appointments required just text when you need us.
- No cost to the City of Garland — the program is fully funded through the $6 fee collected from Garland utility customers.
- True universal access — includes all residents (insured, uninsured, underinsured, non-English speakers, tech-limited households).
- Reduced school absenteeism — timely care helps prevent avoidable illness-related absences.
- Public health alerts — built-in text alerts for flu, heat, or air quality issues.
Lower family costs — flat, predictable monthly fee instead of unexpected medical bills.
By setting the implementation date many months in advance, MD Health Pathways and the City of Garland will have ample time to build awareness, engage with residents, and provide clear information about the program, its benefits, and the opt-out process for those who wish to decline participation.
At least 90 days before the start date, the City of Garland and Tap Telehealth will publish all phone numbers, text lines, and email addresses for questions and opt-outs.
- Fast response times – On average, patients connect with a doctor in under 60 seconds.
- Expanded provider pool – We maintain a large team of licensed physicians and nurse practitioners, with the ability to add more as demand grows.
- Local commitment – Many of our doctors have served Garland families for decades.
This is not a pilot program—Garland is building on a proven system that has already been serving Texas communities for years.
The program is designed to be simple, predictable, and affordable:
- $6 per month, per household – one flat fee that covers everyone at the address (up to 10 people).
- Unlimited visits – no limits on how often you can use the service.
- No copays, no per-visit charges, no insurance required.
There are no hidden fees. The flat monthly charge is the only cost for covered services.
The fee is a flat $6 per household. We define a household as 10 individuals who can be included under a single utility account.
This $6 fee grants your household access to the program and covers all costs for treatment. Whether you use the service once a month or 20 times a month, this $6 fee is all you will be charged. Patients are responsible for the cost of prescription medications.
The fee will start at $6 per month and slowly increase over a 7 year scheduled period. Below is the breakdown of fee increase:
Years 1-2: $6
Years 3-4: $7
Years 5-6: $8
Year 7 and beyond: $9
Any City of Garland resident is eligible to use Tap Telehealth regardless of insurance coverage, Medicaid status, or Medicare status. No one is excluded based on their insurance situation.
Yes, you will still have access if you live in an apartment and do not directly receive a utility bill from the City of Garland.
The utility bill is simply the easiest and most reliable way to reach every household. Participation is completely optional—you can opt out at any time.
This service is completely optional. Every Garland household is automatically covered so no family is left out by accident, but the choice is always yours.
We use an “opt-out” model because most people don’t think about healthcare until the moment they need it. By then, it’s too late to sign up. This way, everyone starts with coverage and can decide for themselves whether to keep it.
If you don’t want the service, opting out is simple and permanent.
Residents who do not wish to participate in Tap Telehealth once it’s launched can opt out before the program begins.
- Call us — speak with a live representative who can remove you in under a minute.
- Email us. City of Garland utility account customers wanting to opt out may email optout@garlandtx.gov. Within the opt-out email, please include the account holder’s name, address, phone number and account number (if available).
- Mail us — return the flier included with your water bill.
For seniors or anyone less comfortable with technology, a quick phone call is all it takes.
This approach ensures no one is ever left behind without care, while also guaranteeing every household has a choice.
Opting out is a one-time action. There’s no need to opt out again each year. Once a resident opts out, that choice remains in place unless they decide to opt back in. Residents can opt back in at any time if they change their mind.
Households who do not wish to participate can opt out starting now by emailing optout@garlandtx.gov and including the account holder’s name, address, phone number, and account number (if available).
Once your email is received, an automatic confirmation message will be sent to your inbox verifying that your opt-out request was received.
Note: If multiple requests are submitted from the same email address, a confirmation email will only be generated the first time.
If you do not see the confirmation in your inbox, please check your spam or junk folder, as automated messages may occasionally be redirected there.
Although the official launch of Tap Telehealth is not until the spring or early summer of 2026, residents may opt out at any time prior to the launch.
In the coming months, the City of Garland will work with MD Health Pathways to introduce additional ways to opt out, including:
- Mail-in fliers included with utility bills
- Designated phone hotlines for residents who prefer speaking directly with a representative
This ensures opting out remains simple, transparent, and accessible for every household.
Tap Telehealth is built for the everyday health needs of Garland families. With one flat monthly fee, your household can access care for:
- Everyday urgent issues: coughs, colds, flu, sore throats, ear infections, sinus infections, UTIs, minor injuries.
- Skin concerns: rashes, acne, allergic reactions, insect bites, minor burns.
- Medication management: safe refills, dosage questions, and prescription adjustments (excluding controlled substances).
- Mental health support: guidance and referrals for stress, anxiety, and depression.
- Preventive health guidance: wellness advice, chronic condition check-ins, and healthy living support.
- Prescriptions: sent directly to any licensed pharmacy you choose.
- Referrals: for labs, imaging (X-rays, MRIs), and specialty care at affordable community partners.
- Unlimited family-wide access: up to 10 people in the home, no limits, no copays, no surprise bills.
Every encounter with our medical staff starts with a text message. However, it is simple and easy for our medical providers to give you a call or start a video conversation. Let our providers know you’d prefer a different communication method and they will be happy to accommodate.
The platform that our medical staff uses to communicate with patients is equipped with translation software. We are able to speak with patients via text and over the phone in over 200 languages.
All of the medical providers responding to Garland residents are located in North Texas. Our medical staff is comprised of fully licensed and board certified PA’s, NP’s, and MD’s with Emergency Room and Urgent Care experience.
Yes.
We know there has been some confusion about information distributed among various social media channels regarding the eligibility of residents on Medicare. To clarify, we treat everyone regardless of insurance status. On our end, there is no difference between patients with private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, or no insurance. No Garland resident will ever be excluded from care due to their existing health coverage.
No.
While our technology helps connect patients with our medical team quickly and securely and allows us to deliver an excellent patient experience, every diagnosis and treatment decision is made by a licensed medical professional. All evaluations, diagnoses, and prescriptions are handled in real time by a live physician who listens, asks questions, and provides personalized care—just like an in-person visit, from the comfort of home.
All of our clinicians have an emergency medicine background, a foundation we consider essential. As part of our medical team, they’re applying the same skills they honed while caring for patients in emergency departments and urgent care centers. That experience equips them to confidently evaluate patients they’ve never met before, where it’s common to diagnose and treat without access to prior records. They rely on thoughtful questioning, sound clinical judgment, and real-world experience to make safe, effective decisions even when full histories aren’t available.
We collect your medical history directly from you. During your visit, our care team asks key questions about your health history, medications, and allergies right over text or phone. Our providers also have access to secure prescription monitoring programs (PMPs), which help verify past and current medications. While we trust patients to share accurate information, we understand that details can sometimes be missed, so our team double-checks where possible.
When a patient texts in for care, they will be prompted to complete a short form asking for basic demographic information. The following images detail exactly what is asked of a patient to start their encounter.
Further information like prior medical history, allergies, or a current medication list is asked later in the encounter by the medical provider directly. All personal information is stored within our HIPAA compliant software. Your information is never shared with the City of Garland or other entities.
Here’s what that means for you:
- No data sharing with the City or utility – The City of Garland will never see your health information. They only handle billing.
- Secure communication – All messages are encrypted end-to-end.
- Strict safeguards – We follow HIPAA and federal security standards to protect your medical records.
- No selling of data – We do not sell or share your health information with third parties.
You control your care – Your medical information stays between you and your Tap Telehealth provider.
Think of it this way: the utility helps collect the $6 monthly fee, but your healthcare and your health data remain completely separate and private.
Fact: Tap Telehealth uses strict federal security standards and safeguards to protect against unauthorized access.
Myth: Residents on Medicare cannot use Tap Telehealth.
Fact: Any resident with a City of Garland utility account is eligible to use Tap Telehealth regardless of insurance or Medicare status.
MD Health Pathways provides the City of Garland with a comprehensive reporting dashboard that tracks how the telehealth program is performing in real time. This dashboard gives city leaders and community partners clear insight into the program’s impact, including:
- Total telehealth encounters: The number of residents who have received care through the program.
- Age demographics: A breakdown showing which age groups are benefiting most—from school-aged children to seniors.
- Estimated school days returned: The number of school days students have been able to attend thanks to same-day care and reduced illness-related absences.
- Estimated work days returned: The number of days working parents or caregivers avoided missing work because their family received prompt care.
- EMS utilization and reduction: Tracking reductions in non-emergency EMS calls or transports as residents access timely telehealth services instead.
- Program participation and opt-out rates: Monitoring engagement across the community to ensure residents understand and feel comfortable using the service.
These insights allow both the City of Garland and MD Health Pathways to continually refine and improve the program, ensuring it delivers measurable health, educational, and economic benefits to the community.
Councilmembers will have Town Hall meetings where residents can meet members of our team and ask questions. Below is a list of scheduled meetings that will be updated as more are scheduled:
District 2 Councilwoman Kris Beard
- Thursday October 23, 2025 – 6 PM to 7:30 PM
- Central Library – 625 Austin St, Garland, TX 75040
District 4 Councilman BJ Williams
- Thursday January 22, 2026 – 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
- Audubon Rec Center- 342 W Oates Rd, Garland TX 75043
In addition to these Town Halls, our team will coordinate with the City of Garland to participate in upcoming public meetings. You can view the list of upcoming public meetings at the link below: