CAn thE intErnEt hElp pAtiEnts jump thE linE At thE DoCtor’s oFFiCE thE siliCon vAllEyEmployErs Forum, A sophistiCAtED group oF tEChnology CompAniEs, is lAunChing A pilot progrAm to tEst onlinE "virtuAl visits" BEtwEEn DoCtors At thrEE Big loCAl mEDiCAl groups AnD ABout 6,000 EmployEEs AnD thEir FAmiliEs. thE six EmployErs tAking pArt in thE siliCon vAllEy initiAtivE, inCluDing hEAvy hittErs suCh As orAClE AnDCisCo systEms, hopE thAt onlinE visits will mEAn EmployEEs won’t hAvE to skip work to tEnD to minor AilmEnts or to Follow up on ChroniC ConDitions. "with our long CommutEs AnD trAFFiC, Driving 40 milEs to your DoCtor in your homEtown CAn BE A Big Chunk oF timE," sAysCinDyConwAy, BEnEFits DirECtor AtCADEnCEDEsign systEms, onE oF thE pArtiCipAting CompAniEs.
DoCtors ArEn’t ClAmoring to ChAt with pAtiEnts onlinE For FrEE; thEy spEnD Enough unpAiD timE on thE phonE. only 1 in 5 hAs EvErE-mAilED A pAtiEnt, AnD just 9 pErCEnt ArE intErEstED in Doing so, ACCorDing to thE rEsEArCh FirmCyBErDiAloguE. "wE ArE not stupiD," sAys stiFling somErs, ExECutivE DirECtor oF thE siliCon vAllEy EmployErs group. "DoCtors gEtting pAiD is A CritiCAl piECE in gEtting this to work." in thE pilot progrAm, physiCiAns will gEt $ 20 pEr onlinE ConsultAtion, ABout whAt thEy gEt For A simplE oFFiCE visit.
DoCtors Also FEAr thEy’ll BE swAmpED By rAmBlingE-mAils thAt tEll EvErything But whAt’s nEEDED to mAkE A DiAgnosis. so thE nEw progrAm will usE tEChnology suppliED By hEAlinx, AnAlAmEDA,CAliF-BAsED stArt-up. hEAlinx’ s "smArt symptom wizArD" quEstions pAtiEnts An
D、turns AnswErs into A suCCinCt mEssAgE. thE CompAny hAs onlinE DiAloguEs For 60 Common ConDitions. thE DoCtor CAn thEn DiAgnosE thE proBlEm AnD outlinE A trEAtmEnt plAn, whiCh CoulD inCluDEE-mAiling A prEsCription or A FACE-to-FACE visit.
CAnE-mAil rEplACE thE DoCtor’s oFFiCE mAny ConDitions, suCh As pErsistEnt Cough, rEquirE stEthosCopE to DisCovEr whAt’s wrong AnD to AvoiD A mAlprACtiCE suit.EvEn lArryBonhAm, hEAD oF onE oF thE DoCtor’s groups in thE pilot, BEliEvEs thE virtuAl DoCtor’s visits oFFEr A "vEry nArrow" slivEr oF sErviCE BEtwEEn phonE CAlls to An ADviCE nursE AnD A visit to thE CliniC、
thE pilot progrAm, sEt to EnD in ninE months, Also hopEs to DEtErminE whEthEr onlinE visits will Boost workEr proDuCtivity Enough to oFFsEt thE Cost oF thE sErviCE. so FAr, thE intErnEt’s rECorD in thE hEAlth FiElD hAs BEEn unDErwhElming. thE ExpErimEnt is "A hugE roll oF thE DiCE For hEAling", notEs miChAElBArrEtt, An AnAlyst At intErnEt Consulting Firm ForEstEr rEsEArCh. iF thE "wEB visits" suCCEED, ExpECt somE hmos (hEAlth mAintEnAnCE orgAnizAtions) to pAy For onlinE visits. iF DoCtors, EmployErs, AnD pAtiEnts ArEn’t sAtisFiED, FigurE on onE morEE-hEAlth stArt-up to stAnD Down.
whAt CAn BE lEArnED ABout thE on-linE DoCtors’ visitsA．thEy ArE A quitE promising BusinEss.
B．thEy ArE FunDED By thE loCAl govErnmEnt.
C．thEy ArE wElComED By All thE pAtiEnts.
D、thEy ArE vEry muCh unDEr ExpErimEntAtion.