Our newest state partnerTennessee grant fully approved · Enrollment coming soon
tapTEXT A PHYSICIAN
TENNESSEE Our communities ↗
WELCOME, TENNESSEE

Tennessee
finds a way.

A new partnership.
Care closer to home.

TAP welcomes Tennessee as its newest state partner. With the grant fully approved, a new chapter of care by text is coming to ten rural counties.

Meet the ten counties What comes next
A TENNESSEE STORY Past. Present. Possibility.GRANT APPROVED Enrollment coming soon
A NEW STATE PARTNERSHIP. A SHARED COMMITMENT TO CARE.

Ten counties.
Every resident.
A new possibility.

The Tennessee grant is fully approved. Now, the work of bringing care closer begins.

Through Tennessee’s Rural Health Transformation Program, the Rural Tennessee Physician Access Program will bring physician-led care by text to ten rural counties. MD Health Pathways, the company behind TAP, will connect residents with Tennessee-licensed clinicians and help them reach local care when an in-person visit is needed.

Follow the next chapter
01 / A COUNTYWIDE BENEFIT

Every resident in view.

The program is designed for residents across all ten participating counties, with no insurance requirement for the TAP encounter.

02 / A FAMILIAR FIRST STEP

An ordinary text.

Planned access through ordinary text messaging, without an app download, with guidance and connections to local care.

03 / GRANT-SUPPORTED CARE

No monthly TAP fee.

TAP encounters will be covered through the state partnership, with no monthly resident fee or city-services-bill charge.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT

TAP welcomes Tennessee: grant approved for care by text across ten rural counties.

Enrollment is coming soon. Enrollment instructions, county launch dates, and access details will be announced as they are confirmed. The covered benefit is the TAP encounter; medicines, tests, and care from other providers may have their usual costs. For emergencies, call 911.

10rural counties in the
planned service area
~152kpeople living in those counties
Service-area population estimate
$0planned resident charge
For the TAP encounter
01 / THE ANNOUNCEMENT

A big step.
With a local heart.

A parent with a question after work. An older neighbor miles from a clinic. A family deciding where to turn next.

For rural communities, reaching care can mean time away from work, a long drive, or waiting until a problem becomes harder to manage. TAP begins with something many people already have: a phone that can send a text.

The approved Tennessee partnership supports a practical next step: physician-led care that fits into everyday life and connects people to local providers when hands-on care is needed.

The planned TAP encounter will be free for residents of the ten participating counties. No monthly subscription, no charge on a city-services bill, and no insurance requirement for that encounter. Medicines, tests, and care from other providers may have their usual costs.

County launch information will be shared here as the rollout is confirmed. TAP complements local care; for emergencies, call 911.

02 / THE COMMUNITIES

Ten counties.
Every community matters.

From West Tennessee to the Upper Cumberland and the northeast, the program is built around the places people call home.

Service area
TENNESSEE Explore a highlighted county or use the list below.

The approved program is designed to serve residents across all ten counties. Explore a county to see its region and county seat.

03 / WHAT COMES NEXT

Grant approved.
Getting ready for you.

The partnership announcement is live, and enrollment is coming soon. County launch dates and the steps to begin using the program will be shared as they are confirmed.

Enrollment coming soon

A clear next step
for every community.

This page will carry county launch dates and the instructions residents need to begin using the program. Community organizations will also receive resources to help share those details locally.

For program questions or a community briefing, contact the TAP team.

  1. County launch informationConfirmed timing for the participating communities.
  2. Resident access instructionsHow to start a conversation with the care team once service opens.
  3. Community resourcesShareable information for local organizations, front desks, libraries, schools, and neighbors.
PLANNED DAILY HOURS7 AM–10 PM Central

8 AM–11 PM Eastern in Scott and Hancock counties, once local service launches.

PLANNED RESIDENT COSTNo charge for the TAP encounter

No monthly TAP fee or city-services-bill charge. Medicines, tests, and outside care may have separate costs.

LOCAL CARE, CONNECTEDBuilt to complement local providers

Clinician guidance and referrals when hands-on care is needed. For an emergency, call 911.

04 / WHY THIS MATTERS

Rural access.
National relevance.

The opportunity is practical: make care easier to reach, connect residents to the right next step, and measure what changes.

I.

For residents

A familiar way to ask for help, with less friction at the first point of contact and support beyond the first conversation.

II.

For local communities

A service designed to work alongside clinics, pharmacies, hospitals, and emergency responders, with a path back to local care.

III.

For public leaders

A defined ten-county service area and a plan to report access, use, follow-up, and patient experience through the state’s grant process.

THE ACCOUNTABILITY PLAN

Track response times, encounters, follow-up, referrals, and satisfaction. Evaluate EMS and emergency department use against baseline.

These are program reporting plans. Service-area population is not a count of patients served.
A NEW CHAPTER IN RURAL CARE

A public promise.
A local difference.

A state partnership, ten rural counties, and a practical benefit planned for the people who call them home.

THE PROGRAM

Rural Tennessee moves forward.
One text at a time.

The Rural Tennessee Physician Access Program will give residents of the participating counties a simple way to reach Tennessee-licensed clinicians by text, with physician oversight throughout service hours.

An automated welcome will lead to a licensed clinician who makes the care decisions. The planned experience includes guidance, treatment when appropriate, referrals for hands-on care, and follow-up by text within 48 hours.

$0planned resident charge for the TAP encounter.
No monthly fee or city-services-bill charge.
What comes next See all ten counties

This project is funded under a Grant Contract with the State of Tennessee.

05 / THE PROGRAM AT A GLANCE

The story, ready
to understand.

A focused overview for community leaders and partners.

PARTNERSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT

Ten counties.
Care, closer to home.

The Tennessee grant is fully approved. The program is preparing to bring physician-led care by text to the participating counties, with local launch information to follow.

Request a briefing ↗
PROGRAM CONTEXTTennessee Rural Health TransformationOfficial Tennessee Department of Health overview ↗
OUR COMMUNITIESMeet TAP’s community partnersReturn to the communities website ↗
THE SERVICE AREAExplore all ten countiesView the interactive county map ↑
About the program and this service area +

Rooted in Tennessee communities

The Rural Tennessee Physician Access Program is operated by MD Health Pathways, Inc., the company behind TAP. The planned service area includes Hardeman, McNairy, Decatur, Perry, Wayne, Clay, Pickett, Fentress, Scott, and Hancock counties.

County seats: Tennessee county clerks directory. Map boundaries: Census-derived US Atlas.

Understanding the numbers

Approximately 152,000 people live in the ten-county service area, based on the 151,980 population estimate in the program’s October 9, 2026 documentation. This describes the communities, not enrollment or people already served.

The planned covered benefit is the TAP encounter. Medicines, tests, and other care may have their usual costs. TAP is not an emergency service. For emergencies, call 911.

The opening artwork is an original illustration of Tennessee community life.

THE NEXT CHAPTER STARTS LOCALLY.

Let’s bring care
closer to home.

For program questions or a community briefing, contact the TAP team.

Request a conversation ↗Dirk Perritt, MD · Founder & CEO