UK To End Doctor's Office Visits

End Of The Doctor's Surgery | UK News Express

A BID to save nearly £3billion by slashing appointments with a doctor and treating patients via computer will put lives at risk, ministers were warned.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is planning a technological revolution that could spell the end of the traditional doctor’s surgery.

A new system of “virtual clinics” is being planned in which GPs connect with patients via iPads and Skype, an idea that NHS bosses are importing from India.
The reforms would save £2.9billion “almost immediately” and improve the lives of most patients, for example by avoiding the need to find child care during appointments, Health Minister Dr Dan Poulter said last week.

I ran across this article in one of the online UK papers that I read from time to time. I like to see what's going on in Europe, because I've found that generally we follow suite on many of their "social experiments." With all of the discussions on health care that we've had recently, I'm sure that the coming year will be focused on the cost of implementation of the new laws. Cost saving measures will have to enter any discussion of funding.

Agree or not, the UK plan to use "virtual office visits" is certainly a viable way to cut costs on many levels. For the physicians; smaller staff, less office space requirements, more efficient use of time, all add up to cost savings. For the patients, it saves commuting costs, parking fees, office waits, etc. As an added benefit, the "visit" is conducted in the relaxed and comfortable environment of the patients home. This removes anxiety and stress from the whole process.

What is lost is the personal doctor/patient relationship.
Maybe.
In urban areas, more and more people are using the services of Teaching Colleges and large Cooperative Medical Practices which are not conducive to personal interaction. These facilities rely heavily upon mechanization, and factory like efficiency to move a patient from doctors exam to blood test, X-Ray, and CTScan units. Their main thrust is through-put, not "bed side manner."
I'm not passing judgement on whether this type of medical care is a good thing or not, I'm just trying to put the Skype "virtual office visit" into perspective. I do, however, think that this type of care is the future of modern medicine, and that the days of Marcus Welby M.D. are long gone.
    

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Use Skype To Connect With Grandchildren