Tuesday, June 18, 2002

Doctors and Pharmacists Online The Shifted Librarian is reporting about Now the Doctor Is Online: Consultations Via E-mail "A new service will let people consult with their doctors by e-mail--for a fee. Doctors are expected to charge $20 to $30 per e-mail, according to Medem, an online physician network founded by the American Medical Association and other medical groups. It announced the e-mail service in Chicago during the annual meeting of the AMA, which is part owner of the company. Most health plans probably won't pay for the e-mails. Still, Dr. Edward Fotsch, chief executive officer of Medem, said he expects many patients will be willing to pay out of their own pockets for the convenience of being able to consult with their doctors via the Internet. A virtual visit is easier and probably cheaper than taking time off from work, visiting a doctor in person and paying a typical $15 office co-payment, Fotsch said. Besides, he said, it can be tough to reach a doctor by phone. About 200 doctors already are offering the service.... While most doctors use e-mail, many are wary about exchanging e-mails with patients. One worry is liability. In an effort to offer some legal protection to doctors, the Medem service asks patients to read a consent form that warns the system can't guarantee privacy. Another worry, on the part of some, is that they wouldn't be paid for the e-mailed consultation. The new service solves that by requiring you to give a credit card number." [Chicago Sun-Times] "Can they read and answer questions using a PDA? That would seem an efficient way to implement this since they could answer questions from anywhere using software (drug interactions) on the device plus wireless access to databases. In cases like these, the medical library's services may be even more essential." Jen: This isn't the first real application of doctors and health care professionals doing online consultations. I'm not surprised the AMA is trying to get involved, because the number of docs joining and addressing the needs of the younger physicans joining the AMA has been declining for the past 20 years. A couple things I remember that link to Docs Online are: When Andrew Groves, Chairmen of Intel was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. One of Andy's primary requirements was that his physican needed to be available to answer his questions online through email. I remember talking to Andy about this in Palm Springs at a meeting, when asking him how he was doing. He told me about the email deal he had with his consulting physician and was quite pleased with how it helped him deal with his treatment. He was hopeful that such a service would help other cancer patients. There is an article about this somewhere online... at the moment I can't find the reference. Pilots are required by FAA Regulation to submit to "flight physicals" as well as follow a code of what medications they can and can not take while operating an aircraft. For example, a pilot can not take simple Sudafed and legally operate an aircraft. So it goes without saying many commerical pilots are very closed mouthed about what's ailing them, especially if it involves medications which are "questionable" by the Chief Flight Surgeon of the FAA.  What has developed from this is a new service called Flight Physical Online. They offer a confidential consultation and waiver service for pilots for a fee online. They also refer pilots to local FAA Certified Flight Surgeons for physicals etc. Flight Physical.com also offers racing physicals for professional and semi-pro race car drivers called Race Physicals.com .  I personally would love to hear how they are doing with this service. Tracking down the right doctor when you really need help and want second opinions can be a major pain. (All puns intended.) A friend of mine, we'll call her Tammy, broke her foot in several places while on a trip to visit friends in Las Vegas. The standard ER docs in Vegas did not make her comfortable and she wanted all the options in the table before she went under the knife for surgery. She ended up spending a couple week researching doctors and getting opinions while waiting for the swelling to go down.  In the end she found a wonderful orthopedic surgeon who used to be affiliated with the major orthopedic group in LA, who was nearly local to her. The doctor who answered a lot of her questions online before he laid eyes on her did the surgery a couple months ago, and Tammy is recovering nicely from a break that could have left her crippled up for life if she had not gotten good advice. Personally I'd love to see Doug do a consultation $ite for patients about the drugs they are taking. (FYI: Doug has his doctorate (Pharm.D.) with a speciality of 20+ years in Clinical Pharmacy.) For years he's been the Pharmacist in Residence for a couple online services and chat/work groups we've belonged to. Everyone from a family to several SV CEO's have called or emailed him about more information on the drugs they are/were taking. Several times Doug's intervention has avoided duplication of drugs, incorrect dosages, or the wrong combinations of drugs. In today's world your local pharmacist or doctor are SUPPOSED TO COUNSEL a patient about their drugs. However, in the world of where HMOs and insurance companies have cut reinbursement to near nothing,  pharmacies and doctors don't do it because they feel they don't have enough time. A pay service would make it available to people who need clairity or assistance in fighting their insurance plans to get the proper drugs for treatment. Any thoughts? 12:41:30 PM Google It!

Get Well Wishes to Dave Dave Winer, our guru and mentor of Scripting News and all the Frontier/Manilla/Radio Blogging products is in the hospital. Doug and I are wishing Dave nothing but best wishes to get well soon. Intimate tours of the U.S. Healthcare Systems are never fun, especially when they want to keep you down a week. Hope the food is decent-- or else we're going to need to make a dietary run. (no pun intended.) 2:42:19 AM Google It!

© Copyright 2002 Mary Wehmeier. Last update: 7/2/02; 4:31:01 AM. Comments by: YACCS