Dr. Jade Le: Pioneering Infectious Disease Telemedicine with Access TeleCare
From Burnout to Revitalization
Dr. Jade Le is many things: a single mother to four kids ages 9, 11, 13, and 15; a leader in helping to foster the largest social media group for physician moms in the country, earning national media attention and helping tens of thousands of clinicians navigate through the pandemic; an infectious disease physician with Access TeleCare, building the program to include 26 physicians and supporting hospital partners throughout the country.
Dr. Le’s journey has been as vibrant as it has been enlightening. Starting her career as a faculty member at UT Southwestern, she never envisioned she would end up leading a national program in telemedicine for infectious disease. Yet, in retrospect, the path seems almost inevitable.
When she was chief resident at UT, Dr. Le, crossed paths with Dr. Eduardo Vadia and Dr. Chris Gallagher, future co-founders of Access TeleCare. Her career progression led her to St. Louis’ Washington University for fellowship, and eventually back to UT Southwestern where she continued as faculty in ID.
In a world where physicians routinely take 12,000 steps a day and deliver dozens of talks annually, Dr. Le’s passion for her specialty was tested. One year she gave approximately 20 talks — and it was on the last, about physician burnout, that Dr. Le realized she was experiencing burnout herself.
A New Chapter: Access TeleCare
Having decided to pursue more flexibility and autonomy in an outpatient group in Dallas, Dr. Le was later approached by her former colleagues, Dr. Vadia and Dr. Gallagher, with an intriguing proposition to join Access TeleCare. They had initiated an ID service line in 2019 and had already onboarded three hospitals and physicians. Their proposition to Dr. Le was simple: “Come and lead.”
“I did a lot of soul-searching because it’s hard to leave something you love,” said Dr. Le. “But I knew with this position there was a chance to have an even greater impact around the country.”
Transitioning from a career she loved was a daunting prospect, but the prospect of a greater impact across the nation and bringing care where it was most needed was irresistible for Dr. Le, a former Peace Corps volunteer with a history of bringing critical care to remote areas.
Infectious Disease and Telemedicine: A Perfect Match
For ID specialists like Dr. Le, the prospect of leveraging telemedicine is incredibly enticing. Not only does it present opportunities to communicate directly with patients across different states, but it also offers a chance to observe and explore regional differences in disease patterns — an intellectual fascination for many ID specialists.
The allure of telemedicine extends beyond intellectual curiosity. It presents an answer to a dire issue plaguing the U.S. healthcare system — disparities in access to care. Shockingly, 80% of U.S. counties lack a specialist to treat ID conditions.
In addition, it offers working physicians (especially working physicians moms like her) a chance to work from home, and balance their clinical duties with the myriads of responsibilities of managing a busy household…
Bridging the Gap: Dr. Le at Access TeleCare
Since joining Access TeleCare, Dr. Le has worked with the recruiting team to hire dozens of physicians. Her dedication has resulted in the establishment of a comprehensive ID program, benefiting both patients and hospitals alike.
Under Dr. Le’s leadership, Access TeleCare is championing two key initiatives: Antimicrobial Stewardship and Collaborative Care Models. The antimicrobial stewardship program focuses on reducing unnecessary antibiotic expenditures and streamlining care of infectious disease patients, thus helping to ensure bug-drug match and reduce length of stay. Research has shown that consulting an ID doctor for infections like staphylococcus aureus can significantly lower patient mortality rates.
Collaborative Care Models, meanwhile leverage the interconnectedness of telemedicine, facilitating collaboration between not just hospitalists, but also case managers and pharmacists, to optimize patient care. Dr. Le and her team at Access TeleCare are at the cusp of a “moment of lift” in the teleinfectious diseases service, (a term Dr. Le borrowed from the book by Melinda Gates), and are poised to change the landscape of infectious disease management.
A New Era of Infectious Disease Management
For ID physicians who feel tethered to the physical examination process, Dr. Le offers a refreshing perspective: “I can do as good a job, and I can coach the nurse, and ask them to touch the patient for me, describing what they feel. I’d rather do that than say I’m sorry, I’m not gonna see you unless I can touch you physically.” She believes that telemedicine can level the playing field, offering rural America the same access to healthcare as urban areas.
Dr. Le’s story of transition from burnout to a position of national influence through telemedicine is compelling for any other physicians considering a career change. She demonstrates how physicians can embrace change, prioritize their well-being, and continue to deliver excellent patient care.
