Now this physician put on his thinking cap...granted this is may not work for all, but he's definitely got some good ideas in the making here. BD
Although many doctors routinely store medical records digitally and use e-mail to communicate with patients, Parkinson is among the first to conduct virtually all his business, well, virtually. Targeting patients ages 18 to 39 -- a relatively healthy, technology-friendly bunch -- Parkinson says he aims to provide cheap primary care for the hip-but-uninsured while keeping down costs for the insured.
Here's how it works: Pay Parkinson's $500 annual fee and you get an initial in-person consultation, at your home or office, that can last as long as two hours. After that, you're entitled to two additional visits; further face-to-face visits cost $150, which Parkinson's Web site calls an average fee for primary care physicians in New York.
For patients with whom he has held that initial consultation, he's available for routine questions online and appointments at a mutually convenient location weekdays from 8 to 5 and round-the-clock for emergencies. And he blogs too.....
So, say you cut your finger while slicing your morning bagel. Parkinson suggests you e-mail him a digital image of the wound; he can tell whether it needs stitches or just a drugstore bandage. (And if there's any doubt, he'll send you to get it checked.)
Parkinson also offers his patients information about specialists and providers of lab work and other services in the New York area. So if you need an MRI, for instance, call Parkinson to find out where to get it done cheap. Want a flu shot? He'll refer you to a colleague who offers them at low cost. He also says he can steer clients toward good deals on prescription drugs.
Take Two E-Mails and iPhone Me in the Morning - washingtonpost.com
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