Healthcare Online – is it viable?

In Featured by Edmund Kwok1 Comment

Guest post by Matt Shealy.

New technology allows us to interact in new ways we never thought possible before. The question has always been, is the new way better? Online platforms are popping up all over the place that collect and present your health care information in a way that promises to help you make more informed decisions. Other platforms help you live a healthier lifestyle or connect with your doctor online to discuss your health issues. These are all great ideas and technologies, but do they better our lives and society?

MDLiveCare
MDLiveCare is a leading online platform that allows people to connect with any type of doctor they are in need of through phone, email, or real-time video communications. MDLiveCare has integrated with Surescripts to allow for seamless prescription fills all through the web.

Is this a good thing? On one hand, this technology is allowing people to get answers from a board certified doctor in minutes rather than waiting for an appointment. On the other hand, you are missing the relationship and familiarity you have with your doctor. A technology platform like this allows one doctor to see many more patients than they normally would be able to in a traditional office setting. How does that affect their ability to properly treat each patient? Also, how can they keep up on the history of each patient in order to accurately diagnose them? The “human element” of a doctor/patient relationship is incredibly important. It makes you trust and feel comfortable with the diagnosis and treatment plan your doctor prescribes you. How will a virtual doctor/patient relationship affect that trust?

Keas.com
Keas.com is an online platform that helps office employees lose weight and get healthy through games, competition and peer accountability. The platform was developed mainly for corporations to help their workforce stay healthy while on the job. This has proven to increase productivity and employees have embraced it. Employers who use Keas in their workplace have seen a 70% employee engagement rate and 95% satisfaction rate.

It’s hard to be critical of a platform that people love and it helps them live a healthier lifestyle. This is an especially good thing in a corporate office setting. You may want to consider the fact that these online platforms take our human interaction and make them digital. Do you think this is good, bad or an evolution in how we interact?

These two technology platforms, and many like them, have shown a shift in how people want to interact with one another. You can see a larger and larger divide happening in the population over 60 years of age and those younger. While technology has allowed us to streamline our efforts and be more efficient, we may also be losing the human element of our society. Is the old way of doing things better or the new way? Only time will tell.

Author Bio: Matt is a health fanatic that made his passion for natural health and finance into a career of helping people in the Sunshine State navigate Florida health insurance. His 10 years of experience and health care coverage knowledge is put to use helping his community protect their financial well being by obtaining Florida health insurance plans.

Edmund Kwok

Edmund Kwok

Emergency Medicine. Quality Improvement. Patient Safety. Change Management. Healthcare Administration.
Frontdoor 2 Healthcare

Frontdoor 2 Healthcare

Frontdoor2Healthcare, founded by Dr. Edmund Kwok in 2012, provides editorial and commentary on issues affecting Canadian healthcare from the emergency department’s “front door” perspective. Frontdoor posts allow for open sharing of the diverse opinions and perspectives of emergency physicians from across the country.
Frontdoor 2 Healthcare

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