July 13, 2000 – “A doctor can bill for certain services provided via the information highway,” said Dr. Jean Rodrigue, responsible for the Planning and Regionalization Department at the Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec. “Billable acts are roughly the same as those performed over the telephone”.
Will we soon see websites where consultants will have to enter their Medicare number to get a consultation with their doctor? According to Dr. Rodrigue, a doctor could bill to answer general questions from his clients, or to do their medical follow-up … provided the patient has been notified that the service will be billed.
This opinion given by a representative of the largest federation of physicians in Quebec suggests that the Web and telemedicine are starting to modify the traditional relationships between physicians and their patients and that there will be consequences on the methods of remuneration. In fact, the upheaval could be much more important than currently foreseen with the creation of expert systems capable of replacing a good part of the medical consultations.
HealthPassport.net
According to Medical News, June 28, 2000