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DEL.ICIO.USOnline doctor visits - blessing or curse?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Doctors in Hawaii plan to start making online house calls today in the nation’s first large-scale program of its kind that some believe could be a groundbreaking step in health care, according to an Associated Press article.
Computers equipped with a Web camera are used to set up a live, face-to-face consultations between doctor and patient. They could get questions answered, get advice or prescriptions for anything but controlled substances.
The disabled, elderly, residents in rural areas or people who simply can’t get to a doctor’s office are expected to benefit from the technology.
But so will doctors. As one advocate put it: Doctors “can wake up in the morning, get in front of computer, provide care to patients that need it and money will show up in their bank accounts, he said.
A 10-minute visit will cost $10 for those who become members of the network and $45 for nonmembers. Payment is made online using a credit card.
Part of me thinks it’s is a good idea, but I can also see downsides.
What about you? Are you looking forward to the time when you can have these virtual doctor visits? Or do they bother you?
Comments
By Stan
January 19, 2009 9:21 AM | Link to this
It sounds like a great idea, if used correctly. It’d be great to spend a few minutes asking the Dr a question vs. spending 1-3 hours going to an office.