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From the article: "But the new websites and apps could reach many more women. They require no legislative approval since clinicians still write the prescriptio
by niftich 10y ago
From the article:
"But the new websites and apps could reach many more women. They require no legislative approval since clinicians still write the prescriptions. The ventures must follow telemedicine regulations, which vary by state, and can only prescribe in states where their clinicians are licensed."
They are technically seeing a doctor (via telemedicine), but aren't comfortable to do so in person. This enables them to 'see a doctor' from the privacy and (psychological) comfort of their own room, which is presumably more private than them having to travel to their doctor's office and interact with them in person.
- cperciva 10y agoThey are technically seeing a doctor Sure, and "medical marijuana" dispensaries technically require that you get diagnosed with something which marijuana can be used to treat. When doctors are being paid by a company which sells the product they're prescribing, I lack confidence in their ability to render medical opinions in the patients' best interest.
- criley2 10y agoHey, no, ok, I work in the medical software field (EHR provider who has a number of telehealth options) and the comparison of telemedicine to a dispensary or a pill mill is offensive and ignorant. Telehealth is extremely effective in a number of cases, generally with the elderly and those with anxiety issues. It's very very cost effective, provides some of the best clinical data on patients empowering better diagnosis and care, and keeps patients engaged. It is not some profit-fueled sham like a pill mill or a legal trick around the criminalization of marijuana, it is a legitimate technological advancement in achieving better care for more people. Hell, we're seeing that using telehealth in conjunction with traditional office services creates a lot more successful outcomes than office care alone as people remain engaged in their care plan! The idea that telehealth is inadequate for birth control prescription is a bit silly to me, do you have any rational reasons against this technology and paradigm or just fear mongering comparisons like dispensary?
- cperciva 10y agoOh, I absolutely support the concept of telehealth. But telehealth provided by a company which sells specific medications is a very different matter.
- DanBC 10y agoWould it help if the doctoring was split off from the online pharmacy? So both still telehealth / online, just separate.
- cperciva 10y agoAbsolutely. I'm quite happy with online pharmacies and telemedicine as separate concepts; it's the conflict of interest inherent in "we'll refer you to a doctor who will give you a prescription so that we can sell you these pills" which concerns me.
- Zak 10y agoThis is very different from the concern you expressed in your toplevel comment. A doctor having a profit motive to write prescriptions could very well conflict with their ethical obligation to recommend alternatives where medically appropriate. On the other hand, it's my impression that most of the medicines people obtain this way - specifically contraceptives and erectile dysfunction treatments - are straightforward enough that an automated decision tree could probably do a reasonable job screening most patients.
- themartorana 10y agoBut regular doctors in non-virtual offices have all kinds of incentives dropped on them to prescribe certain medicine. "Separating" the two hardly does away with incentivized prescription writing.
- cperciva 10y agoThis is very different from the concern you expressed in your toplevel comment. One concern leads to the other. That is to say, if I thought patients were receiving a medical consultation which met the normal standard of care, I would not be concerned about physician-avoidant behaviours; it's the combination of "may have received medication without a proper medical consultation" and "may be unlikely to seek medical care in the event of potentially life-threatening complications" which concerns me. it's my impression that most of the medicines people obtain this way - specifically contraceptives and erectile dysfunction treatments - are straightforward enough that an automated decision tree could probably do a reasonable job screening most patients. I agree. And I'd rather have such screening performed by an FDA-approved automated decision tree than by a doctor who has financial incentives in conflict with his ethical obligations.
- drumdance 10y agoBirth control, unlike marijuana, has no recreational use.
- bronson 10y agoDespite Rush Limbaugh claiming otherwise. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_Limbaugh%E2%80%93Sandra_Fluke_controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_Limbaugh%E2%80%93Sandra_F...
- sokoloff 10y agoAs an engineer, I would argue that birth control's primary use is recreational.
- cperciva 10y agoIs a ski helmet recreational? Not directly; but it makes a recreational activity safer, so it provides indirect recreational value. Whether birth control pills are used for recreational purposes is a question of semantics; they have no direct recreational use, but make indirectly support recreational activities.
- jlgaddis 10y agoAs a (male) recreational drug user, I have never taken birth control pills for any purpose, recreational or otherwise.
- ggggtez 10y agoDon't forget the secondary health benefits, such as reducing menstruary symptoms, which for some women is very uncomfortable.
- themartorana 10y agoThat's quite often the primary, not the secondary. Protecting against unwanted pregnancy is a nice side-effect of the medicine prescribed to help control literally debilitating menstrual cycles.
- 10y ago