Hippocrates Never Imagined “Selfies”

Telemedicine is here to stay. Melinda Beck, writing in The Wall Street Journal, reported on the explosive growth in virtual medical exams. Online doctor-patient interactions have doubled from 2011, and venture capital funding is rushing to this new sector.

 

Just like any new healthcare initiative, there are pros and cons:

 

• Cheaper, faster and availability to remote and under-served locations seem to be the major positives;

• Concerns over excessive prescriptions (especially antibiotics), misdiagnoses (think a “selfie” of your throat to consider strep), checklist medicine, and the undermining of doctor-patient relationships are the main negatives.

 

This may not be your grandmother’s idea of a house call, but it’s here to stay. Credentialing, licensing, plan design, confidentiality, quality of care — just a few of the critical issues in this area.  Stakeholders inand payers of these products must learn to adapt, monitor and review.

Call us.  We adapt and can do better.

William Faris, JD
Chief Executive Officer
502-495-5040
william.faris@omca.biz
www.omca.biz

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