We’ll be hearing this phrase more often as telemedicine apps replace non-emergency visits.
After a bad fall, my friend awoke in the night with a swollen, throbbing knee. She grabbed her phone
and opened Doctor on Demand, a new app that allows users to video-chat with doctors to get medical
help in real time. She typed in her symptoms, got paired with a nearby specialist and sent him several
photos of her knee. Within minutes, the doctor advised my friend that the knee appeared to be
dislocated. They agreed on a time for an MRI the following week.
Telemedicine – or soliciting live medical expertise from afar – is becoming increasingly mainstream.
Doctor on Demand is very popular and HealthTap boasts more than 1 million users. Asking text-based
questions on HealthTap and AskMD is free and a 15-minute appointment through Doctor on Demand
costs $40 and doesn’t require insurance.
For patients, telemedicine apps are a cheap, easy alternative to nonemergency consultations. For
doctors, the apps are a tool to build a public profile, attract new patients and make a little extra cash
during their downtime. For hospitals, they’re a means to streamline care for existing patients.
Of course, there are concerns. The medical apps can be useful for diagnosing routine illnesses like the
flu and minor injuries like dislocated knees, but they’re not meant to totally replace in-person doctor’s
exams; especially for potentially serious ailments like chest pain. Also, patients should get prescriptions
from a doctor who has their medical-record history on hand.
One physician interviewed said, “If telemedicine is a way of keeping healthy patients out of the doctor’s
offices, that’s a good thing.”
We are going to see a major shift in how medicine is practiced and where.
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