An excellent Physician and Surgeon of mine that befriended me many years ago confided in me that 95% of what he deals with are 12 or so conditions and he prescribes only 9 or so drugs to treat nearly all of them.
With this in mind; there are some telemedicine sites operating that the Supreme Pundit has personally used and they are quite good. At these sites the patient describes their symptoms to the form fields and the prescription drug to treat it is delivered to you.
Sounds simple right?
Interestingly enough many in the FDA and the medical field are attacking these sites as online pharmacies operating in a dubious manner.
But these attacks are in contrast to the entire field of Computer-Aided Diagnosis that is taking off like wildfire elsewhere in the world.
The AARP site has a watered down tool that is a nice example HERE
Or what could be the same tool here at HealthLine
Here is a paper on the subject: v4-3-26.pdf (application/pdf Object).
And another Here
RANT WARNING:
So you want to reform health care? Stop making me visit my doctor, argue, have lab work done, wait, then finally get some tamiflu to treat my symptoms that are identical to the other 29,000 people in my city when there is an epidemic!
Everything exists now to basically eliminate 90% of the cost of 80% of the medical treatment people seek out their doctor for right now. I don’t see it happening in the USA soon but a country that gives a dam about its people and the cost of medical care may be able to put this in action since they are bitching that they need more doctors. CANOOKS, YOU NEED TO AUTOMATE THE MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS PROCESS AND GET RID OF MOST OF THE DOCTORS.
RANT OVER