by Christopher Cornue

I recently learned about an online medical practice that uses the Internet to connect with and take care of patients. I was intrigued by what I heard, so I researched the site further and found it to be a very interesting concept.

Through the site, patients use the Internet as a primary means of communication with their healthcare provider. They create an account where their healthcare information will be stored and then have access to multiple physicians at a click of the mouse.

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It's an interesting concept in that each patient's interaction with his or her provider takes place through the Internet (via instant messaging, video or email).

For example, a patient who wakes up feeling ill may they log into his account and schedule a cyber "appointment" with a physician. The physician would log on, review the information provided and discuss the patient's symptoms via the Internet. Depending upon the results of the conversation, several things may occur next: 1) An in-person appointment might be scheduled; 2) The physician would call in a prescription for the patient to pick up at a later time; or 3) Another regimen of care is provided, with a follow-up appointment necessary to ensure the patient is on the mend.

Using an online account, patients identify physicians with whom they'll establish a relationship as part of their own personalized "care team."

The website touts the significant savings in time for these patients--specifically the amount of time that is saved by not waiting in the ED or physician's offices. I expect, too, that there are cost savings by doing much of the physician-patient interaction via the Internet.

Additionally, physicians signed on with the site are not part of insurance plans, so most of the cost is out of pocket (unless the patient has insurance plans that allow for "out of network" visits).

If you take a close view of the this website, you'll notice that it has signed on with physicians in only a few markets, including areas of York and California. This may or may not be a deterrent, however, since so much of the patient/physician interaction takes place via the web.

This unique company has been in existence for only about a year, so it's too early to tell how this model might play into our national healthcare debate. However, I can see how this innovative approach might be very attractive to many physicians and patients alike, and at the very least offers another option for patients seeking healthcare.

I'm curious to hear what you think, though. Is this kind of web-based interaction a potential avenue for healthcare in the future?

-- Christopher Cornue is the former CEO of McKee Medical Center in northern Colorado, served as vice president at Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center in Chicago, and has held several leadership roles at the University of Chicago Hospitals.