The article begins with the story of Vivek Soddera, age 30, who woke up with a swollen knee after a night out with friends. He knew he had to see a doctor about it, but he was unable to move from his couch (because of his knee); and didn't want to pay a cab fare to/from the hospital on top of the visit cost. He turned to DoctorOnDemand and after entering his symptoms and snapping some photos, he was paired with a specialist who immediately recognized it as a dislocated knee and had an MRI scheduled for Soddera. The visit cost $40 and doesn't require insurance either. Apps like HealthTap and AskMD allow users to get text-questions answered by multiple doctors for free.
Telemedicine apps were typically only reserved for the rich and those in remote areas, but this is all changing. These apps are a cheap, easy alternative for non-emergency consultations. And is beneficial to doctors as well because it allows them to build their patient base and make some money in their downtime. Murray Aitken, the executive director of the health care consultancy IMS institute, says "we are going to see a major shift in how medicine is practiced and where".
There are some concerns raised with telemedicine apps, however. They are not meant to replace in-person exams, they should only replace visits for a cold/flu and minor injuries like Soddera's dislocated knee. The Aitken also points out that it isn't ideal to have someone who isn't a patient's primary care doctor prescribe medications without seeing the patient's electronic medical-record history. He wants to see a balance, telemedicine apps should be used to replace unnecessary doctor visits to save space for patients that need an in-office visit.
Overall this article shows that telemedicne apps have a very bright future, if they're used in the right way.
Sifferlin, A. (2014). The doctor will Skype you now. Time, 183(1), 12. / Link
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