Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Who do you want reading your EKG?

Wes Fisher, MD
Tech
November 27, 2013
191 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

I know what you’re thinking, punk. You’re thinking “did he fire six shots or only five?” Now to tell you the truth I forgot myself in all this excitement. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and will blow you head clean off, you’ve gotta ask yourself a question: “Do I feel lucky?” Well, do ya, punk?
– Harry Callahan (played by Clint Eastwood) in “Dirty Harry”

AliveCor recently announced the launch of their AliveInsights EKG interpretation service where patients decide who interprets the single-lead EKG generated by AliveCor’s EKG iPhone case. If the patient feels fine with a technician and wants a response in 30 minutes, they can get their answer if they elect to pay $2. If that same patient wants a board-certified US cardiologist to interpret their tracing and are are willing to wait up to 24 hours, they can elect to cough up $12 instead.


Gee, which would you take?

My bet is that AliveCor is guessing people will accept the cheaper alternative. But will prescribing doctors?

It is an interesting model. I learned from Dr. Dave Alpert, the inventor of the AliveCor iPhone case, that board-certified cardiologists get to keep $10 of the interpretation fee for providing the service — no insurance forms to fill out, no worry about a technical fee for the patient. Just a plain cash payment model.

Perhaps what is most interesting to me is how incredibly disruptive this model is to our current medical model.

But there are other concerns for doctors who might elect to “prescribe” an AliveCor case to their patients.

If the patient elects to pay $2 and a technician misreads the EKG, is the prescribing physician legally responsible for adverse outcomes that might occur? Who is responsible if a cardiologist misreads the transmitted EKG — the prescribing physician or the interpreting physician (presuming they are not always the same individual)?

These are interesting questions to ponder as this service launches. Certainly other issues are likely to arise where the lines of patient responsibility become blurred. Still, I like the fact that AliveCor is moving head on into this space. It sets an exciting opportunity for patients to have more control over their health concerns, and if this helps them, then all the better.

So as Harry Callahan said, “Feel lucky, punk?”

Wes Fisher is a cardiologist who blogs at Dr. Wes.

Prev

The British approach to cholesterol: A reason for lower health costs

November 27, 2013 Kevin 5
…
Next

The impact of sleep is both immediate and intimate

November 27, 2013 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Cardiology

Post navigation

< Previous Post
The British approach to cholesterol: A reason for lower health costs
Next Post >
The impact of sleep is both immediate and intimate

More by Wes Fisher, MD

  • How to help physicians end maintenance of certification nationwide

    Wes Fisher, MD
  • When patients tweet their own heart attacks

    Wes Fisher, MD
  • So you failed maintenance of certification. What now?

    Wes Fisher, MD

More in Tech

  • Is AI the solution for the shortage of nephrologists? ChatGPT weighs in.

    Amol Shrikhande, MD
  • How AI is enhancing patient care and improving radiologists’ lives

    Brett Mollard, MD
  • ChatGPT masters USMLE: a real win for AI, but a long way from the art of medicine

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • The game-changing impact of AI regulation: Unlocking the potential in health care and society

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • Surviving TMI and AI: the importance of self-initiated self-learning for future physicians

    Deepak Gupta, MD and Sarwan Kumar, MD
  • Navigating the ethics of AI in surgery: Balancing bias and accountability for safer procedures

    Jag Singh, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why affirmative action is crucial for health equity and social justice in medicine

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Policy
    • Why doctors aren’t to blame for the U.S. opioid crisis [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The hidden factor in physician burnout: How the climate crisis is contributing to the erosion of well-being

      Elizabeth Cerceo, MD | Physician
    • The power of coaching for physicians: transforming thoughts, changing lives

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
    • Physician entrepreneurs offer hope for burned out doctors

      Cindy Rubin, MD | Physician
    • Unlocking the secrets of cancer conferences: an end-of-life counselor’s journey among pharmaceutical giants

      Althea Halchuck, EJD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Breaking point: the 5 reasons American doctors are dreaming of walking away from medicine

      Amol Shrikhande, MD | Physician
    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • It’s time to replace the 0 to 10 pain intensity scale with a better measure

      Mark Sullivan, MD and Jane Ballantyne, MD | Conditions
    • Revolutionize your practice: the value-based care model that reduces physician burnout

      Chandravadan Patel, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling the hidden damage: the secretive world of medical boards

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • The revolutionary Kaiser-Geisinger deal: How health care giants are reshaping the industry and empowering patients

      Robert Pearl, MD | Policy
    • The escalating violence in health care workplaces: a critical problem facing the nation’s health care system

      Harry Severance, MD | Physician
    • Is chaos in health care leading us towards socialized medicine? How physician burnout is a catalyst.

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • A pediatrician’s journey into integrative medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why allowing yourself to embrace discomfort is necessary for personal growth

      Jillian Rigert, MD, DMD | Physician
    • Unconventional health care, flawed studies, and biases: Navigating the complexities for optimal well-being

      Kara Wada, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 19 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • More Evidence Backs Gout Benefit for Gliflozin Agents
  • Burnout: The Musical; Debt Ceiling May Stymie Research; Diet's 'Powerful Ability'
  • Dying With Dignity: A Look at the Advantages of the Medicare Hospice Benefit
  • Can Gene Therapy for Sickle Cell Disease Be Cost-Effective?
  • Reaction to FDA's Approval of Upadacitinib for Crohn's Disease

Meeting Coverage

  • More Evidence Backs Gout Benefit for Gliflozin Agents
  • Reaction to FDA's Approval of Upadacitinib for Crohn's Disease
  • CDK4/6 Extends Reach Into Early-Stage Breast Cancer
  • TAR-200 Led to High Complete Response Rates in BCG-Unresponsive Bladder Cancer
  • More Success for CAR T-Cell Therapy in Rheumatic Disease
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why affirmative action is crucial for health equity and social justice in medicine

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Policy
    • Why doctors aren’t to blame for the U.S. opioid crisis [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The hidden factor in physician burnout: How the climate crisis is contributing to the erosion of well-being

      Elizabeth Cerceo, MD | Physician
    • The power of coaching for physicians: transforming thoughts, changing lives

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
    • Physician entrepreneurs offer hope for burned out doctors

      Cindy Rubin, MD | Physician
    • Unlocking the secrets of cancer conferences: an end-of-life counselor’s journey among pharmaceutical giants

      Althea Halchuck, EJD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Breaking point: the 5 reasons American doctors are dreaming of walking away from medicine

      Amol Shrikhande, MD | Physician
    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • It’s time to replace the 0 to 10 pain intensity scale with a better measure

      Mark Sullivan, MD and Jane Ballantyne, MD | Conditions
    • Revolutionize your practice: the value-based care model that reduces physician burnout

      Chandravadan Patel, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling the hidden damage: the secretive world of medical boards

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • The revolutionary Kaiser-Geisinger deal: How health care giants are reshaping the industry and empowering patients

      Robert Pearl, MD | Policy
    • The escalating violence in health care workplaces: a critical problem facing the nation’s health care system

      Harry Severance, MD | Physician
    • Is chaos in health care leading us towards socialized medicine? How physician burnout is a catalyst.

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • A pediatrician’s journey into integrative medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why allowing yourself to embrace discomfort is necessary for personal growth

      Jillian Rigert, MD, DMD | Physician
    • Unconventional health care, flawed studies, and biases: Navigating the complexities for optimal well-being

      Kara Wada, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Who do you want reading your EKG?
19 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...