Don't LOL at virtual visits. Technology is allowing more doctors and patients to consult via e-mail, and insurance companies are reimbursing for it.
In today's "I-gotta-know-now" society, many patients turn to e-mail to contact doctors on matters, as opposed to waiting for an in-person office visit. Now, some insurers are actually reimbursing doctors for their electronic time, which is also known as a "virtual visit." Internist Paul Tang, left, doesn't consider the practice mainstream yet. "No one is reimbursing us," he says.
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D017046:Cost Savings; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D034742:Electronic Mail / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007349:Insurance, Health, Reimbursement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D007357:Insurance, Physician Services; D008007:Licensure, Medical; D016345:Medicare Part B; D008910:Minnesota; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States; D014584:User-Computer Interface