Dr. Vimal T. George
MD, MSc
Board-Certified Family Physician · TEDx Speaker · Award-Winning Author
Clinical Affiliate Faculty of Population Health, UT Dell Medical School
About Dr. George
A Clinician Who Teaches the Way He Practices
Dr. Vimal Thomas George, MD, MSc is a board-certified family physician practicing at the Austin Diagnostic Clinic in Austin, Texas. He graduated from McGovern Medical School at UT Health Science Center and holds a Master's degree in Healthcare Quality and Safety Management from Thomas Jefferson University.
Over the course of his career, Dr. George has served as Chief of Family Medicine, Associate Medical Director, and Executive Medical Director (Chief Quality Officer) at the Austin Diagnostic Clinic. As Chair of the Medical CQI Committee, he drove breast cancer screening, colon cancer screening, and immunization rates above the 90th percentile nationally. He successfully led the clinic's Medicare Shared Savings Program partnership and positioned the organization for MIPS success.
He serves as Clinical Affiliate Faculty of Population Health at UT Dell Medical School, mentoring the next generation of physicians. His April 2024 TEDx talk at Northwestern University — How to Make Healthy Living Incredibly Simple — distills his population health philosophy into a single, compelling framework.
His 2021 book Health in Flames: A Doctor's Prescription for Living BEYOND Diet and Exercise won multiple national awards including the IndieReader Discovery Award and three Eric Hoffer Award distinctions. He is also a published contributor on KevinMD, the web's leading platform for physician voices.
Dr. George co-founded CME Travel Academy to deliver genuinely evidence-based, zero-commercial-bias CME — designed so that what physicians learn translates directly into better outcomes for their patients.
Board Certification & Licensure
- 🏅American Board of Family Medicine — Active since 08/04/2006
- 📋Texas State Medical License — M1699
- 📋Hawaii Medical License — MD-13662
Education
- 🎓Masters, Healthcare Quality & Safety Management (2014–2018)
Thomas Jefferson University - 🎓Family Medicine Residency (2002–2005)
Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program, Houston TX - 🎓Doctor of Medicine (1998–2002)
University of Texas Health Science Center (McGovern Medical School) - 🎓Bachelor of Arts, Biochemistry (1993–1997)
University of Texas at Austin
Professional Memberships
- 🩺American Academy of Family Physicians
- 🩺Texas Medical Association — Alternate Delegate 2014–2016
- 🩺Travis County Medical Society
Publication
- 📖George, Vimal. Health in Flames: A Doctor's Prescription for Living BEYOND Diet and Exercise. Epsilon Publishing, 2021.
- 📖Thomas Kaniyarakam. "The Substance of Human Life." The National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly, Autumn 2002: 367–368.
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IndieReader Discovery Award — Winner (2023) IndieReader Discovery Awards — Health in Flames
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Eric Hoffer Award — Category First Runner-Up, Health (2023) Eric Hoffer Book Award — Health in Flames
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Eric Hoffer Montaigne Medal — Finalist (2023) Eric Hoffer Book Award — awarded to books that illuminate important ideas
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Eric Hoffer First Horizon Award — Finalist (2023) Eric Hoffer Book Award — recognizing debut authors of distinction
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Eric Hoffer Grand Prize — Short List (2023) Eric Hoffer Book Award — Health in Flames
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Independent Author Network — Category Finalist, Health/Medicine (2022) Independent Author Network Book Awards
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Bridges to Excellence — Certificate of Recognition (2011) Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute — recognizing quality improvement in clinical practice
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Family Medicine Section — Quality Improvement Award (2011) Austin Diagnostic Clinic MCQI Committee — highest quality metrics across multiple categories
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Angie's List Super Service Award (2012) Austin Diagnostic Clinic Family Medicine Section
Employment History
- Co-leads primary care CME conferences and livestream programs focused on chronic disease management in outpatient practice
- Set strategy for quality improvement and value-based care across the clinic
- Strategically positioned the clinic for MIPS success
- Led the clinic's Medicare Shared Savings Program partnership
- Developed and oversaw a new department of population health
- Introduced training and auditing for HCC coding across all providers
- Achieved shared savings goals for the majority of value-based contracts
- Improved quality metrics to better than the 90th percentile nationally:
- Breast cancer screening
- Colon cancer screening
- Multiple immunization categories
- Chaired Medical CQI Committee — aligning providers and staff to performance goals
- Standardized workflows via standing orders; empowered MAs to work at top of license
- Used LEAN methodology to streamline overdue screening and same-day service workflows (mammograms, diabetic eye exams)
- Launched quarterly best-practices sharing workshops among primary care providers
- Disseminated monthly provider report cards reflecting key quality metrics
- Redesigned physician orientation from a front-loaded 3–4 day format to a spaced-learning model (2–3 days + 1 day at 6 weeks) to improve retention
- Established the e-Clinical Discussion Forum for physician knowledge-sharing
- Managed population health via PCMH initiatives
- Developed "smart templates" providing point-of-care reminders for vaccines and cancer screenings
- Introduced behavioral assessments in physician recruitment to improve hiring outcomes
- Chaired monthly section meetings for one of the clinic's largest divisions
- Improved vaccination rates among family doctors by over 30% year-over-year via standing orders
- Brought nearly all family doctors above national average for diabetic quality metrics
- Introduced in-house spirometry and select vaccines as new revenue streams
- Standardized physician templates, significantly reducing template proliferation
- Eliminated drug-company sponsored luncheons from the section to remove commercial bias
- Section awards: Quality Improvement Award (2011), Angie's List Super Service Award (2012)
- Served on MCQI, credentials, physician recruitment & retention, and contracting committees
- TMA Alternate Delegate, 2014–2016
- Multiple media appearances: flu vaccines, summer heat, medication safety, breast cancer screening, men's health
- Medical Director, Kindred at Home (formerly IntegraCare), Austin
- Lab Director, Steiner Ranch branch of Austin Diagnostic Clinic
- Bridges to Excellence Certificate of Recognition (2011)
Academic & Speaking
Volunteer & Community
- Central Texas & Global Poverty Relief Organization — Founder & CEO, 2008–2012 (amplified efforts of non-profits serving extreme poverty)
- Malaria No More — Malaria Griot, 2010–2012; selected to lobby the US Congress for malaria funding and legislation
- Leadership Round Rock, 2007
- Speaking, blogging, YouTube, podcasting — 2020 to Present
Learn From Dr. George at Your Next Conference
Evidence-based CME at iconic destinations — zero commercial bias, live certificate, physician-led.