A Mobile Medical Practice -- Dr. Jay Parkinson
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Joshua Schwimmer, MD, FACP, FASN
In order for this system of primarily mobile medical care to work, Dr. Parkinson chooses his patients carefully. They must be accessible in Manhattan or Brooklyn, and they must be young (less than 40) and generally healthy.
He runs his practice on a laptop, an electronic medical record system (Life Record), and an iPhone.
Many of his patients don't have insurance and must pay "out of pocket" for their medical care. To make his practice more appealing, Dr. Parkinson has contacted local laboratories, pharmacies, and radiologists to obtain the best prices on their services. Not only does he see patients, but he acts as their personal medical shopper for products.
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.
Some potential problems include HIPAA privacy issues with electronic communications, providing immunizations, the problems with diagnosing patients remotely, patients using electronic communications too frequently, and availability during emergencies. For an interview with Dr. Parkinson and a detailed discussion in the comments section between him and many skeptics and supporters, please see the Wall Street Journal Health Blog.
Labels: jay parkinson, mobile medicine, new york city
3 Comments:
At Sat Sep 29, 08:54:00 PM 2007,
jayparkinsonmd said…
Thanks for the post. It still amazes me how many people bring up the HIPAA issue with the assumption that I haven't solved that problem. I use multiple techniques to maintain compliance with HIPAA including personal passwords, encrypted PDF's sent over email with the password sent by text message. Some IM applications have encryption built in, some do not. I only use the ones with encryption. And on and on and on. All physicians must abide by HIPAA regulations, including myself. I've come up with some unique ways to ensure compliance. I'm not above the law and my patients deserve privacy.
At Sun Sep 30, 03:03:00 PM 2007,
Huck said…
This is an intriguing solution to the portion of the "40 million uninsured Americans" who won't get insurance rather than can't.
It is probably a better solution than the emergency room.
I think the biggest problem medicine faces is the reality check to insured patients that their care actually costs money.
I don't know how many times I "overutilize" my pediatrician because it's $15 out of my pocket plus the monthly premium (of which we pay a portion and our employer pays the rest). Tests and hospitalizations have a deductable.
I think one of the keys to the so called looming "health care crisis" would be higher deductables for all, and the reality check associated with it.
At Fri Oct 05, 01:45:00 AM 2007,
Steve said…
I agree and i got,infact i knew all the points about concierge physicians.I was ill and i dont know any doctor thanks for concierge physican.Thanks jayparkinsonmd for ur experience.
http://www.conciant.com
Regards,
Alex Bell
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