E-visits : Health Care Goes Online

In many cases of illness, the best care still calls for actual human touch. Still, in some special situation, if you're sick, you may not feel like wasting time in a doctor's office waiting room. And here comes a solution for such cases.

With the penetration of internet into all aspects of our daily life, health care couldn't remain aloof from all those advancements. It started with educational programs for degrees in healthcare management and nursing. Nowadays, more and more physicians are conducting online exams, and a growing number of insurance companies are supporting the concept. It's projected that one in five office visits could be eliminated through online communication. Recently, some of the biggest insurance companies, including Aetna and Cigna, started reimbursing doctors for E-exams.

The visits utilize questionnaires to help the doctor properly diagnose any problems in the patient. All of it is documented in the patient chart to refer to for future visits and care. The American Academy of Family Physicians also supports the idea, but stresses that only non-urgent medical issues can be handled this way. E-visits are best suited for people with easy to diagnose aches and pains, or for established patients who have previously received care from the physician's practice and now need follow-up visits.

E-visits should be a payable physician service. Usually, the patient initiates the process and agrees to e-visit service terms, privacy policy, and charge for receiving asynchronous care from a physician or other qualified health professional. Thereafter, electronic communication occurs over a HIPAA-compliant online connection, which includes the total interchange of online inquiries and other communications associated with this single patient encounter.

The physician appropriately documents the E-visits, including all pertinent communication related to the encounter. The physician or other qualified health professional has a defined period of time within which responses to an e-visit request are completed.

So, next time you are sick, may be putting your hand on the mouse would be a more convenient idea ....