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Archives : Jay Parkinson
Email in medical care: Starting to catch on?
On April 23rd I wrote about the benefits of using email in physician-patient communication, and how trends in this area are inevitably going to change the standards of communication in years to come. I’ve also written about Dr. Jay Parkinson and the company, Myca, who are pushing the use of technology to improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the physician-patient relationship through the use of instant messaging, video-conferencing and email.
Email and other efficient modes of communication are undoubtedly in our near future as healthcare providers. Now if we could just get the payers to notice…
Well, it looks like they are starting to notice. As part of the medical home model, Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan is entering a 2 year pilot program which will, among other things, pay physicians for using communications such as email to improve the efficiency of interaction with patients. This article from Times Union explains.
Currently, doctors are paid only for face-to-face visits. There’s little incentive for busy doctors to explore other types of interactions, said Bruce Nash, chief medical officer and senior vice president of medical affairs at CDPHP.
“The rest of the world’s used e-mail for a decade,” he said. “It’s been limited to a physician, because it hasn’t been paid for.”
“Virtualization” of physician communications
I’ve had the pleasure to speak with Jay Parkinson, MD about his innovative business model which takes a revolutionary approach to medical communications between physicians and patients through Myca, a company for which he is the Chief Medical Officer. I’m excited about the concept of “virtualizing” physician communication, and think the 5 minute video below does a great job of speaking to the benefits of such a world.
The practice of medicine by instant message?
The practice of medicine has seen some significant changes in the last number of years…concierge practices, the medical home model, and…instant message?
A Brooklyn physician started a practice in 2007 with nothing more than a computer, an iPhone, and a couple of house calls per year. The cost? $500 per year. The target patient? The uninsured, young, and wired.
Whether the model is sustainable and the quality of care is of value remains to be seen. The innovative approach is worthy of comment though as we’re sure to see more and more of this type of creativity as the tech savvy of our new doctors increases with each graduating class.
Dr. Jay Parkinson launched his medical practice in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn in late September with no waiting room, no fluorescent-lit exam rooms, and best of all, no overhead. Parkinson’s practice is online. Want to reach him? Try instant messenger or e-mail.
Parkinson’s medical practice combines quaint house calls of yore with decidedly 21st-century technology. For a yearly fee of $500, Parkinson makes an initial visit to his patients in their apartments and offers two additional visits as needed. But he is available to them any time between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays for unlimited consultation on IM or e-mail.
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