St. Thomas Health Care has developed national Medical Expert Panels to serve as a resource to our clinicians, clients, and patients. More than 500 physicians are contracted to work for St. Thomas Health Care across the country, and the majority of the physicians possess unique skills and expertise in a wide area of medical disciplines. Our experts have skills ranging from disaster preparedness, to infectious disease, disability management, and transportation health regulations.

Integrated Health and Wellness

The physicians on this panel offer population-based and personal care strategies to our corporate clients in order to optimize investments in employee health. These physicians promote health, wellness, and productivity by integrating employer-based wellness activities, targeted lifestyle change interventions, and personalized disease prevention and control initiatives into a tailored program for each employer-client. This strategy and medical expertise helps to assure delivery of evidence-based health management approaches. The elements of productivity that are addressed by our physicians include the effective addressing of risks and conditions that affect work absence, work performance, restricted time, and work accommodations. Recommendations are provided regarding environmental policy strategies and process improvement. This panel also offers input regarding areas such as population health screening, targeted prevention programs, health intervention priorities, pre-placement evaluations, management of work and non-work related illnesses/injuries, and disability management.

Injury Care/Occupational Medicine

The Injury Care/Occupational Medicine Medical Expert Panel is focused on developing materials and tools for our clinicians to further St. Thomas Health Care's goal of providing medical care for work injuries that is truly best in class. Occupational Medicine is at the core of our medical practice, and the medical experts on this panel have considerable experience in managing injuries in the workers' compensation system in a way that is not only evidence-based, but also cost effective.

Regulatory, Testing, and Exams (RTE)

The physicians on this panel provide guidance to clients and clinicians on regulatory issues, medical testing, and protocols for regulatory and non-regulatory examinations. Examples of issues handled by this panel include Bloodborne Pathogen Standard, Respiratory Pathogen Standard, Hearing Conservation Programs, Infection Control, and transportation industry regulations. Processes have been implemented by this panel to provide efficient testing and reporting for clients. The panel has also created the framework for medical surveillance programs for clients contracting at both centers and worksites.

• Transportation Committee

  The clinicians on this panel have expertise in health care issues related to individuals who serve the public in the transportation industry. This committee aids St. Thomas Health Care medical examiners on a multitude of healthcare topics through day-to-day phone consultations for those examiners who have immediate certification questions while also serving as a resource to clients through their consultative role.

Physical Therapy

The Physical Therapy Medical Expert Panel is researching and redefining how healthcare is being delivered in our medical centers, as well as therapy's key role in our medical model. Focus areas for this panel include the senior population, America's workforce and military personnel, and urgent care patients.

Remote Clinical Delivery (RCD)

This panel's members regularly monitor recommendations and updates regarding the clinical delivery of medical and wellness services in our worksites and locations outside of our traditional clinics. This panel works closely with St. Thomas Health Care colleagues to develop clinical recommendations for new remote products and services.

• Telemedicine Committee

  This committee's members are responsible for applying their medical expertise to the development, implementation, monitoring, and oversight of our telemedicine offering. This innovative healthcare delivery model allows for the remote access to healthcare by a licensed provider without the provider being physically present to provide services. Using technologies such as digital stethoscopes, otoscopes, dermascopes, and video conferencing, St. Thomas Health Care is able to create a 'virtual visit' with a patient and provider.

Travel Health / Infectious Disease

The Travel Health / Infectious Disease panel regularly monitors recommendations and updates regarding infectious diseases including tuberculosis (TB), flu pandemics, and travel health. The members serve as consultants to a number of clients and have helped develop bloodborne pathogen protocols, preparedness plans, anti-viral medication dispensing protocols, and a flu pandemic preparedness guidebook. This panel works closely with companies of all sizes to help develop travel health service packages that include required and recommended vaccines, medication to prevent and self-treat common illnesses, and itinerary-specific health and safety counseling. As a continued goal, this panel provides clients with the latest recommendations and updates pertaining to flu pandemic preparations as well as occupational and non-occupational exposures and infections.

St. Thomas Health Care - Hospitals - Urgent Care

The St. Thomas Health Care Medical Expert Panel consists of a diverse, multi-disciplinary team of healthcare professionals who collaborate to provide guidance in the delivery of urgent care medicine. The panel consists of staff representatives such as physicians, nurses, data analytics personnel, and clinical operations members. The team helps to ensure that urgent care delivery is appropriate and that the quality of clinical care meets our high standards. The regular review of data helps to drive clinician proficiency for our staff and patients.

Primary Care

The Primary Care Medical Expert Panel consists of a multi-disciplinary team of healthcare professionals who provide guidance and expertise in the development and delivery of exceptional, best-in-class primary care medicine. This includes health promotion, disease prevention, health maintenance, counseling, patient education, and the treatment of acute and chronic conditions in a variety of clinical settings like worksites and urgent care centers. The care is comprehensive, patient-centered, coordinated, and continuous in nature with a focus on quality and safety. The panel develops evidence-based clinical guidelines, policies, protocols, and clinical standards to achieve these goals.