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Healthcare Archive
Articles
Virtual doctor visits: A new kind of house call
A doctor shows up on your computer or smartphone, not your doorstep. Should you try it?
Image: AndreyPopov/ Thinkstock
Getting a doctor's advice no longer requires a visit to the exam room. Thanks to videoconferencing applications (apps) for smartphones, tablets, and home computers, you can experience a virtual visit with a physician at any time, day or night. "The convenience factor is striking. You're home sick, and 24/7 you can see a doctor on your electronics," explains Dr. Ateev Mehrotra, an internist and a Harvard Medical School researcher who studies new ways of delivering health care.
Not just a fad
Quality of care
Physicians who take part in virtual visits are vetted. They're assigned to you based on where you live, they are licensed in your state, they're board-certified, they carry malpractice insurance, and they can even order tests and prescriptions for you. But without seeing you in person, their ability to assess you is limited. "The physician can look at your rash, but can't examine the back of your throat or listen to your lungs. If it's a virtual visit for depression, it probably doesn't make a difference. But if you're having abdominal pain, you really need a doctor who can perform a physical examination," says Dr. Mehrotra.
Studies on virtual visits have been mixed. For example, antibiotics may not be prescribed as appropriately during virtual visits as during in-person visits. "And it appears that physicians are much less likely to order a test you may need, which could be a problem if you have strep throat," says Dr. Mehrotra.
When to try a visit
Is it always important to get a second medical opinion?
Men should always seek out a second medical opinion anytime they are given a diagnosis of serious illness or a recommendation for surgery. Also, when seeking a second opinion, it is best to visit a different medical center to get a truly independent diagnosis, and to bring along a family member or friend to accurately record the new information.
The cost of generic and name-brand drugs
More prescription medications now come in generic versions. But do you ever choose savings over quality?
Image: AlonsoAguilar /Thinkstock
Medication can be an unpredictable and costly expense. Whether it is short-term treatment or multiple drugs you take indefinitely, prescriptions can have a serious impact on your wallet.
Nowadays there are many generic versions of brand-name drugs that are often significantly less expensive. There are generic drugs to treat most common ailments, such as pain, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, and depression.
Where to go when you get sick
Do you know where to go when you get sick? If you can't see your own doctor, you might go to a retail clinic, urgent care, or the ER, depending on the situation. Dr. Terry Schraeder explains the difference and where to best seek the help you need.
Do financial incentives improve health?
Ask the Doctor
Most large employers now offer financial incentives to workers who make healthy lifestyle changes.
Image: PHOTOS.com/Thinkstock
Q. My employer is offering employees financial rewards if we lose weight. At first, I was shocked by this, but then I thought it might be a good thing for me, and for my employer. Does this kind of financial incentive lead to healthier lifestyles?
Why isn’t my doctor seeing me for routine visits any more?
Ask the Doctor
Q. I've found lately that when I make a routine appointment with my doctor's office, I may be seen by a physician assistant or nurse practitioner instead of my doctor. I really don't have any complaints, but I'm wondering why they seem to be taking on things that my doctor used to handle. Is this a new trend?
A. In my practice, many patients see a nurse practitioner instead of me. The appointment might be for an initial visit to get established in the practice, for routine prenatal care, for an urgent issue such as a miscarriage, or for bothersome symptoms such as those from a persistent yeast infection. If a woman has complex medical issues, the nurse practitioner immediately consults me, and together we decide the best next steps.
Recent Blog Articles
Wildfires: How to cope when smoke affects air quality and health
PTSD: How is treatment changing?
Virtual mental health care visits: Making them work for you
How healthy is sugar alcohol?
A bird flu primer: What to know and do
New urine test may help some men with elevated PSA avoid biopsy
Dupuytren's contracture of the hand
Why play? Early games build bonds and brain
Moving from couch to 5K
How — and why — to fit more fiber and fermented food into your meals
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