If you are a customer of Aetna or Cigna health insurance you may be able to visit with your doctor over the internet. These two companies are now reimbursing doctors for online visits. This idea saves the insurance companies (and eventually the consumer) tons of money, because the fees for an online appointment are much less than for an in office visit. People are consulting with doctors over the internet for all sorts of maladies. The LA Times recently put out the top ten things doctors are asked about during online visits. No. 1 medications; No.2 sinus problems; No. 3 back problems; No. 4 colds and flu; No. 5 test results; No. 6 coughs; No. 7 follow-up on surgery or another procedure; No. 8 headaches; No. 9 fevers; and No. 10 asthma.
We had a great discussion here when I advocated for people seeing a nurse practitioner instead of a local doctor. Well, the CDC recently released statistics showing the doctor visits are up 20% in the last five years even though we have fewer general practitioners than ever. This means the need for nurse practioners is probably going to go up so that the doctors can take the more serious cases and the nurse practitioners can deal with the every day illnesses that come in. I see this idea of virtual visits in the same vein. If we can get to a point where people have inexpensive access to medical care we will have a healthier society, with a reasonable cost, and efficient care. If we give it time the market will correct itself. Here’s hoping the politicians do not get in the way.
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