[00:00.10]From VOA Learning English,
[00:02.77]this is the Health Report.
[00:04.82]Telemedicine is the name for
[00:07.17]when doctors give advice to patients
[00:09.97]by telephone or the Internet,
[00:12.93]or when health care providers in rural areas
[00:16.73]connect with specialists in big cities.
[00:20.68]Telemedicine has existed for a long time,
[00:23.99]but the rise of smartphone, tablets
[00:27.75]and webcam-equiped computers
[00:30.89]is raising telemedicine to new levels.
[00:34.55]Some health care systems in the United States
[00:37.90]now offer Virtual Urgent Care,
[00:41.00]patients see a doctor by video chat
[00:44.46]without having to leave home.
[00:46.67]Diana Rae is a nurse educator
[00:50.28]in the western state of Washington.
[00:52.83]She recently demonstrated how Virtual Urgent Care works.
[00:57.63]She used a iPad tablet and skype - the video chat service.
[01:03.03]"Hi, yes, my name is doctor Ben Green,
[01:05.67]among the doctors with Franciscan Virtual Urgent Care."
[01:09.26]Doctor Green has the patient describe her symptoms,
[01:13.77]then the doctor performs a physical exam
[01:17.82]by demonstrating what he wants her to do.
[01:21.36]Doctor Green decides that the problem is a silence infection.
[01:26.22]For medicine, he prescribes an antibiotic.
[01:29.80]He says about 3 out 4 patients have health problems
[01:34.35]that can be treated like this
[01:37.96]- through Virtual Urgent Care,
[01:40.67]that means a video chat could replace a visit to the doctor's office.
[01:46.47]Patient safety is really important to us.
[01:48.97]So if we feel like the patient is not safe
[01:51.28]to be treated in this manner,
[01:52.90]we're going to suggest other alternatives for them," said Green.
[01:56.41]The Franciscan Health System is based in Tacoma, Washington.
[02:00.60]Franciscan charges $35 for this kind of virtual house call,
[02:06.34]that is much less than the cost of going to an emergency room,
[02:11.14]a doctor's office or an urgent care clinic.
[02:16.00]After trying the video conference,
[02:18.93]Diana Rae says she would been happy to pay the 35$,
[02:23.36]when she was recently home with a bad cold.
[02:27.06]"I would've paid twice that for the convenience of
[02:31.01]getting taken care of without having to sit in a waiting room,
[02:35.71]wait, and get exposed to everyone else's germs," Rae said.
[02:40.10]Franciscan operates hospitals, clinics
[02:43.86]and a hospice for end-of-life care.
[02:47.55]Franciscan has a deal with a company called Carena
[02:51.82]to add virtual urgent care by Skype or phone.
[02:56.15]Carena is one of several companies
[02:59.10]doing this kind of work around the country.
[03:02.41]But a company official says state rules have not kept progress
[03:06.86]with developments in telemedicine.
[03:09.76]The workers who provide virtual urgent care
[03:13.23]must be separately licensed in each state
[03:16.68]where the company does business.
[03:18.73]For now, that means Carena doctors can treat patients
[03:23.22]in Washington state and California for example,
[03:26.56]but not in neighboring Oregon or Idaho.
[03:30.50]And that's the Health Report from VOA Learning English.
[03:34.80]I'm Christopher Cruise.