January 16, 2009

Doctors Treating Patients Digitally

Wayne Glowac

As of January 15th, a patient in Hawaii will be able to sign on to his or her computer and have an appointment with a Doctor. The technology comes from American Well, a web service that previously was not available to everyone. Now, patients can make 10-minute long appointments through their provider and health insurance, and be treated at the same time they check their e-mail. (Source: NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/technology/internet/06health.html?_r=1...)

It is services like this one that, if implemented well, can save the healthcare industry millions. The problem is not getting patients and doctors to use it (they will), but getting insurers and the government invested in it.

The evidence is clear that the appropriate technology to speed up healthcare and cut costs is already out there, it’s just a matter of making the moves toward change. So I pose two questions to our readers:

What other services and technology have you found that could make a difference like this?

And what will it take to see significant change come through the industry?

RT @wavedriven example of how healthcare 2.0 can cut costs and change the industry www.wavedriven.com/blog090119

»