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Hey, 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
by criley2 10y ago
Hey, 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.
- ch4s3 10y agoDo you work in Verona by any chance? I didn't realize you folks did so much in telehealth. Is Telepsych new?