Go to the Doctor Via the Internet
If you were sick, would you skip going to the doctor and log onto to your computer instead? I like the idea for quick ease of use, but the chances of you being able to talk to your doctor are very slim. I guess for something simple I would be willing to let just any old doctor check me out. I would worry if people might be able to game the system to get a hold of drugs they do not really see. A doctor cannot examine you much over a web cam.
If Roy Schoenberg, the start-up’s co-founder and chief executive, has his way, patients will no longer have to wait a month to see a doctor for an urgent sore throat, wait all day for a doctor to return their call or leave work midday and drive a long distance for a routine appointment. Instead, patients will log on to their computers and find themselves face-to-face with physicians over Webcam.
Patients who are members of the health plan pay a co-pay, just like at the doctor’s office. Doctors hold 10-minute appointments, which can be extended for an optional fee, and can file prescriptions through the system. Uninsured patients can also use it, for a fee that the health plans choose but which will be less than $50, much less than a visit to the emergency room, which is where the uninsured often end up. Health plans pay American Well a license fee per member to use the software, as well as a transaction fee of about $2 a patient each time a patient sees a doctor. [link]
But what if you want to see your doctor?
Patients benefit from receiving continuous care from a doctor who knows their medical history. Dr. Schoenberg said that American Well allows for that. If a patient’s primary care physician is online, the patient can see him or her. If not, the doctor who sees the patient sends a report back to the patient’s usual doctor. [link]