Institute For The Future

Mobile medicine in Manhattan

A Healthline blog entry turned me on to Dr. Jay Parkinson's medical practice in New York City. Parkinson has no office--he only makes house (or workplace) calls. He charges a flat fee of $500 a year, in return for which his patients get two visits and "unlimited e-visits"--e-mail, phone calls, video chat, or instant messaging. He runs his practice on a laptop, an electronic medical record system (Life Record), and an iPhone (see 09/23/07 entry for more on Life Record EMRs and iPhone).

 

 

Dr. Parkinson's patients are young (less than 40) and generally healthy. Many don't have insurance and must pay "out of pocket" for their medical care. As blogger Joshua Schwimmer, M.D., observes,

While there are many potential problems with this model of practice, the reality is that many younger people (who are generally healthy) don't have insurance, are very comfortable with instant messaging and electronic communication, and would prefer this type of online relationship with their doctors.

Parkinson has helped his patients obtain lower rates on ancillary services by negotiating on their behalf with local laboratories, pharmacies, and radiologists to obtain the best prices on their services.

 

Turns out that the Wall Street Journal Health Blog, which is a great source of information on the business of health, ran a story on Parkinson's new practice last week. The "Comments" section includes some interesting posts, many from Dr. Parkinson himself.