Remote Access to Heathcare

File this under healthcare technology...

By the time you read this I will hopefully be on the mend from my second bout with influenza this season - first being a couple of months ago.

Virtually my entire adult life (decades after repeated decades) has been characterized as influenza-free.  Remarkable or not after contracting the flu a half-dozen or so years ago I have been absolutely compliant about obtaining a flu vaccination every year.  What the hell?  Have my T-Cells taken leave of their senses?  Or is this simply a function of getting-on in my years with an aging immune system?  Plain-old bad luck?  I dunno. 

In any event life in rural America doesn't afford you the possibility of a quick visit to a local Urgent Care Center on short notice - at least very easily.  For me it would be a minimum thirty minute one-way drive.  Thankfully technology (the cavalry) has come to the rescue as there is this:

No Appointment Needed 

Receive care 24/7 via webcam (phone visits are not available) 

Get treated without leaving home   Common conditions — flu/cold, rashes, bladder infection, etc. 

Simple pricing $49 - No hidden fees. 

Care now - In 30 minutes or less you can be in a virtual visit with a board-certified family medicine provider.  

With Jill's help (I was very grumpy) we were able to logon to my provider at 9 PM and within minutes - via video feed - I narrated my symptoms and discussed the situation with a Board Certified Nurse Practitioner.  She diagnosed my collection of maladies as symptomatic of influenza, shared immediate reminders regarding fluids, pain management and submitted orders for a course of Tamiflu for Jill to pick-up in one of the town pharmacies first thing in the morning.  Email notification linking to a summary of the virtual visit followed. 

So why is any of this relevant or important?  Let me count the ways:  It saved a trip to town.  It was fast.  It was convenient.  It was professional.  There was transparency in pricing.  $49 is exceedingly affordable.  It leveraged the use of technology to replace bricks and mortar for the delivery of basic health care.  And I was very engaged in the process. 

Obviously this cannot replace seriously urgent matters such as critical illnesses or injuries - at least in its present form.  Moreover, there might be a misdiagnosis.  Yet I do believe this is just an initial peek behind the curtain of technological resources and the future of healthcare.  Particularly for basic needs and perhaps for on-going and chronic care.  How about remote data feeds of vitals for starters.  Maybe the future includes one stop shopping with a Walmart-Humana 'virtual clinic'.  Or your scrip delivered by Amazon's drug plan by means of UAV.  Who knows?  One need not look too far to see how technology has caused massive disruption and revolutionary change in retail sales.    

Note to self - purchase a blood pressure/pulse monitor.  Better data = better diagnoses = better outcomes. 

Raising a tall glass of Gatorade to technology...