Telemedicine encounters inherenty sacrifice quality

The boom in telemedicine is here, and understandably so.  The “consumer” is in control now, and they sure don’t want to be “patient” anymore.  When Americans want care, they want it cheap, and they want it now.   Telemedicine has grown to accommodate 7 million annual patient encounters, up from 350,000 five years ago.  What savvy health care administrator doesn’t see numbers like that and get dollar signs in his eyes?  Couple telemedicine’s growth with its low overhead, and it is clearly an up-and-coming source of low-cost revenue.  Still yet, questions remain.  Isn’t “clinician” accuracy negatively affected when only a video evaluation is performed?  Can a woefully incomplete set of vital signs identify the patients with emergent pathology?  If a patient has symptoms suggestive of a urinary tract infection, can she be prescribed antibiotics without a urinalysis?  Can a “clinician” rely on a mother’s abdominal exam in a vomiting child?  Health care purists are aghast at this perceived disregard of the traditional doctor-patient encounter. Continue reading ... Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. Find out how.
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Tags: Physician Emergency Source Type: blogs