Impact of virtual visits on doctor-patient relationship unclear: an end to 'true medicine'?(Practice Trends)

WASHINGTON -- In the next few years, 20%-50% of all physician-patient interactions will be virtual, according to Dr. Allen Wenner.

"There will always be situations where the in-office visit will still be required," said Dr. Wenner, a family physician and vice president for clinical applications design at Primetime Medical Software in Columbia, S.C. But physicians "can get a lot closer to their patients" by collaborating via e-mail and the Internet.

"Think of the ATM. Without it, how many interactions would you have to complete at your bank?" he said at a congress on technology and health care. Just as the ATM made banks closer and more convenient, electronic access will do the same for medical care, he said.

Current medical practice suffers from a number of ills, ranging from limited time for doctor-patient interaction to poor patient compliance, agreed Kirk Schueler, chief executive officer of MyDocOnline Inc., a Round Rock, Tex.-based company that provides online communication tools for the health care community. The business of scheduling an appointment and traveling to the physician's office is often inconvenient to a patient, as is the paperwork that accompanies many visits.

In Mr. Schueler's assessment, physician offices that leverage technology will lower their costs and improve revenue and health outcomes.

Patients are forever waiting for services: They wait to get an appointment, wait for lab results, then wait to see the physician again for treatment, Dr. Wenner said. "If the patients need ancillary services such as a referral, they have to wait again. I call this poor service."

Dr. Wenner said his office features a "virtual waiting room." The patient enters an empty reception area and registers himself on a computer. A staff member is available to assist those who are less comfortable with technology.