Patients now can speak to their doctors via online video, telephone
NEW YORK Some new, low-cost services recently have surfaced that enable patients to communicate with doctors via online video or the telephone, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article.
It is an emerging trend that could be construed by some as competition for the convenient care industry, which offers patients easy access to affordable, quality health care through the more than 1,100 retail-based clinics located nationwide.
The new services are aimed at providing basic health care consultations more cheaply and easily, and mark the next step in "telehealth", or the delivery of healthcare through the telephone, Web or other telecommunications technologies.
According to the WSJ, American Well Inc. went live in January with a Web service that enables patients to talk with doctors via online video, text chat or telephone. Through Microsoft's HealthVault, doctors can view patient personal health records and are able to prescribe medication via the Internet. The service is currently available only in Hawaii, but is expected to launch in other states later this year.
The service is available through the Hawaii Medical Service Association, the Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliate in Hawaii. HMSA-insured patients pay $10 for a 10-minute consultation; uninsured or non-member patients pay $45 for a 10-minute consultation, WSJ reported.
In November, SwiftMD Inc. launched a similar service, according to the WSJ, and is now available in New York and New Jersey. It expects to soon be operating in Alabama, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. For a one-time $18 registration fee and $9 a month, users can make an appointment at any time to speak with a doctor over the telephone or via online video chat. The patient also pays $59 per consultation.
Meanwhile, TelaDoc Inc. has a similar service in Dallas that allows patients to go online or call and schedule phone consultations with doctors, the article states.
While the new services offer the convenience of online consultations, there are still disadvantages. Not only do physician-licensing regulations and health plans vary from state to state, making the availability of electronic consultations limited, but it also eliminates the face-to-face interaction patients receive when visiting a physician or even a nurse practitioner working within a retail-based health clinic.