Monday, September 27, 2010

Specialty E-consults

Partner's Healthcare in Boston has made it happen and even breaks down how much a second opinion might cost you:
The total cost of your consultation will depend on which services are chosen and the number of studies that are evaluated by our specialists. You may speak with a Consultation Coordinator to estimate your costs before your case is submitted and actual costs can be defined after your material is received.

The components of the total cost could include:
Specialist Opinion: $495 each
Radiology Review: $200 each
Pathology Review: $250 each
Welcome to the new world of on-line specialty consultation and these guys are demonstrating how being first-to-the-e-market can benefit large health care systems.

-Wes

Reference: Partners Online Speciality Consultation Home Page

1 comment:

Icedlatte said...

Cleveland Clinic has been doing it for quite a while. I'm about 2 hours down the road and have had quite a few patients use their online consult service over the years. They've generally been patients who've been at their wits' ends for one reason or another, with fairly complex health issue/s. It's kind of a win-win for the Clinic, as the patients generally end up seeking in-personal medical care for their complicated problem/s there. In almost every instance they've had pretty miserable care here at our local academic center, which is not a kinder, more nurturing place. Not that it's necessarily bad care technically, it's not a place which communicates internally or externally especially well. It's sloppy and often perceived as arrogant. At the Clinic, patients feel like they're handed off in a really organized, less-snarky fashion. Terrific marketing plan! Patients pay $500 to become patients.