NY Times article here. In Hawaii, the Blue Cross-Blue Shield licensee is making internet house calls available to everyone. Basically it’s exactly what it sounds like–you get online, you either text or video chat with a real live doctor, and the doctor tells you what he thinks is wrong with you. Each appointment is 10 minutes, but it can be extended for a fee. If you’re in trouble, the doctor will tell you to get to a hospital.
Internet doctoring is especially well suited for Hawaii:
Hawaii is particularly well suited for online medicine because the islands are remote, it takes time to travel among them and it is difficult for the state to recruit doctors to rural areas, said Mike Stollar, vice president of marketing for the Hawaii Medical Service Association.
I think this is a great idea. People in these areas would not normally have access to quality doctors, and the internet can bring them closer. Everybody saves–it’s cheaper for patients, and it’s less intensive for doctors (since the appointments can be automated and lined up a lot more quickly). There are some diagnostic tests that may be harder to administer online, but internet doctors can always refer those cases to an in-person doctor.
By the way, if any of my readers haven’t yet tried internet video chat, you have to. Seriously, it’s absolutely awesome.
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