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From VOA Learning English, |
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this is the Health Report. |
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Telemedicine is the name for |
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when doctors give advice to patients |
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by telephone or the Internet, |
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or when health care providers in rural areas |
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connect with specialists in big cities. |
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Telemedicine has existed for a long time, |
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but the rise of smartphone, tablets |
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and webcam-equiped computers |
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is raising telemedicine to new levels. |
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Some health care systems in the United States |
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now offer Virtual Urgent Care, |
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patients see a doctor by video chat |
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without having to leave home. |
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Diana Rae is a nurse educator |
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in the western state of Washington. |
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She recently demonstrated how Virtual Urgent Care works. |
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She used a iPad tablet and skype - the video chat service. |
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"Hi, yes, my name is doctor Ben Green, |
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among the doctors with Franciscan Virtual Urgent Care." |
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Doctor Green has the patient describe her symptoms, |
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then the doctor performs a physical exam |
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by demonstrating what he wants her to do. |
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Doctor Green decides that the problem is a silence infection. |
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For medicine, he prescribes an antibiotic. |
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He says about 3 out 4 patients have health problems |
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that can be treated like this |
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- through Virtual Urgent Care, |
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that means a video chat could replace a visit to the doctor's office. |
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Patient safety is really important to us. |
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So if we feel like the patient is not safe |
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to be treated in this manner, |
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we're going to suggest other alternatives for them," said Green. |
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The Franciscan Health System is based in Tacoma, Washington. |
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Franciscan charges $35 for this kind of virtual house call, |
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that is much less than the cost of going to an emergency room, |
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a doctor's office or an urgent care clinic. |
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After trying the video conference, |
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Diana Rae says she would been happy to pay the 35$, |
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when she was recently home with a bad cold. |
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"I would've paid twice that for the convenience of |
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getting taken care of without having to sit in a waiting room, |
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wait, and get exposed to everyone else's germs," Rae said. |
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Franciscan operates hospitals, clinics |
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and a hospice for end-of-life care. |
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Franciscan has a deal with a company called Carena |
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to add virtual urgent care by Skype or phone. |
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Carena is one of several companies |
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doing this kind of work around the country. |
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But a company official says state rules have not kept progress |
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with developments in telemedicine. |
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The workers who provide virtual urgent care |
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must be separately licensed in each state |
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where the company does business. |
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For now, that means Carena doctors can treat patients |
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in Washington state and California for example, |
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but not in neighboring Oregon or Idaho. |
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And that's the Health Report from VOA Learning English. |
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I'm Christopher Cruise. |
