“Doctor delivery is one of many new approaches springing up to address the demand for faster, more convenient medical care.”

A recent article in the NY Times reveals that a new type of medical practice is flourishing nationwide, doctors making house calls. The catch is that appointment fees range from $250 to $450, but many people are willing to pay it. These doctors will see patients for most things except emergency conditions where one should head directly to a hospital.

According to Dr. Rick Kellerman of Wichita, Kansas and president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, “We have that perfect storm. The current system doesn’t work well for patients or physicians. More doctors are coming up with new home business practice models. They’re exasperated with paperwork and insurance regulation.”

“When you call, you can speak to a doctor in five minutes, and that doctor can be there with you within the hour. Where else do you get that kind of delivery?” says Walter Krause, founder of Inn-House Doctor. The company says it has 40 physicians in major metropolitan areas on call, some working during their time off.

To read the entire article, go to: www.nytimes.com

 

“Most patients are satisfied with their doctors, but there are complaints, particularly about time spent in the waiting room.”

WebMD reports that in the February edition of Consumer Reports, a survey of 39,000 patients and 335 primary care physicians revealed that waiting time was the number one patient complaint. This was followed by failure to schedule appointments within a week, too little time with the doctor, slow test results, and poor response to phone calls.

Almost 6 in 10 doctors who participated complained most that many patients don’t follow their prescribed treatment. They also felt that many patients wait too long to make appointments, are reluctant to discuss symptoms, and many request unnecessary test or prescriptions.

To read the entire article, go to: www.webmd.com

 

“Depression may be world’s most disabling disease. Global study finds it takes a bigger toll than other chronic conditions.”

According to lead researcher Dr. Somnath Chatterji, from the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, "Being sad is bad for your health," Yet depression doesn’t get the same amount of attention as physical ailments.

In a September 8th study published in The Lancet, Chatterji’s group studied 245,000 people in 60 countries. They concluded that depression had the biggest effect on worsening health compared with four major chronic illnesses; angina, arthritis, asthma, and diabetes and that having depression in addition to physical illness significantly worsens health even further. For that reason, Chatterji states that depression needs to be treated as an urgent public health priority.

To read the entire article, go to: www.nlm.nih.gov