Too bad that litigation worries are impeding technological advances in medicine. All the more reason why e-consults and internet communication with patients won’t be embraced in the US:
For medical malpractice attorney Veronica Richards of Pittsburgh’s Richards & Richards, a former nurse practitioner, the increased use of virtual house calls is cause for concern. Internet communication doesn’t offer the clarity and directness of a face-to-face diagnosis, she warned, which could lead to a misdiagnosis, a catastrophic outcome — and litigation.“My concern is more the ‘Hey, my foot hurts, it looks purple to me,’ and somebody tells you to elevate your foot when really you need emergency surgery,” Richards said. “In med-mal, what opens the floodgates [to lawsuits] is very catastrophic results that were avoidable.”
Richards said that virtual house calls can “fill a need, but there’s a lot of unsophisticated consumers who don’t know what to tell you. You really kind of have to ask the right questions. I can see that being a real problem,” Richards said.
(via Overlawyered)
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{ 7 comments }
Of course insurers are willing to pay for this form of patient-physician care. It is efficient for the doc so they are willing to accept a lower payment, it is efficient for the patient, who can accomplish in minutes what it would otherwise take at least half a day to do.
But beware of what comes next. Docs are blindly rushing into this area but once they establish the patient demand for this service then watch out. Insurers will find docs in India to work for less, and to cover the odd hours that patients might wish. Once patients are hooked on anonymous medicine the switch to offshore providers will be swift and sure. The only safe areas of medicine now are those that require the hands on provision of care, like surgery, anesthesia, and interventional radiology. The so called ‘cerebral’ areas are on a ship called the Titanic, only none have read the writing on the hull yet.
You’re wrong gasman…the cerebral aspect will never be outsourced to India because then the assholes that live in this country would have to sue someone who makes rupees and not dollars…they would get diddlysquat…get it!
gasman,
they could just as easily outsource anesthesia or surgery. Robots alreday do surgery with the surgeon at a distant remote location. Anesthesia machines could be operated the same way
“The only safe areas of medicine now are those that require the hands on provision of care, like surgery, anesthesia, and interventional radiology.”
Typical prima donna. May I suggest after your OR time you wonder upstairs on the floors or in the ICU gasman. You will see “hands-on” medicine everywhere. In fact I would argue the only specialty in real danger due to computor/internet technology is general radiology with telerad.
Come now after a transitional year gasman knows at least as much general medicine as your typical FP/internist :}
An anesthesiologist on the floors/ICU. That will be a first. I long ago gave up on consulting/getting help from anesthesia at my hospital. Thank God for the ER docs at my hospital. Every time I have needed help from them it is excuse after excuse why they aren’t going to show up. On the other hand they expect me to be there in a moment’s notice when they need help from you. I have had too many to count “stat” pages to the PACU for nonstat reasons. Rather the anesthesiologist did not want to deal with the issue. Frankly out side of the OR I have always been underwhelmed with that specialty.
Well said 12:08. I had my fill of most “gasmen” a long time ago. I get VERY irritated when their “lifestyle” comes before MY patient.
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