Comments on: How Pharma Can Cut Out the “Middleman” (aka “The Doctor”) http://www.doseofdigital.com/2009/08/pharma-cut-middleman-doctor/ Improving Healthcare Through Digital Technology -- Effectively using digital technology and social media in pharma and healthcare Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:11:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jonathan Richman http://www.doseofdigital.com/2009/08/pharma-cut-middleman-doctor/#comment-9622 Jonathan Richman Thu, 11 Nov 2010 20:31:00 +0000 http://www.doseofdigital.com/?p=1442#comment-9622 American Well isn't at all like this. The ED folks are purely in it to generate prescriptions that they profit from. Doctors in American Well get paid just for seeing the patient and have no incentive (direct or indirect) to prescribe drugs. They are actually completely different. Case in point, 4 major insurance companies in the US have made American Well's service a standard benefit for its subscribers. It serves as an alternative to Quick Care Clinics and emergency room visits for non-emergency conditions. I don't think they'd offer the same for these ED docs. American Well isn’t at all like this. The ED folks are purely in it to generate prescriptions that they profit from. Doctors in American Well get paid just for seeing the patient and have no incentive (direct or indirect) to prescribe drugs. They are actually completely different.

Case in point, 4 major insurance companies in the US have made American Well’s service a standard benefit for its subscribers. It serves as an alternative to Quick Care Clinics and emergency room visits for non-emergency conditions. I don’t think they’d offer the same for these ED docs.

]]> By: Pawel Jurczynski http://www.doseofdigital.com/2009/08/pharma-cut-middleman-doctor/#comment-2016 Pawel Jurczynski Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:02:13 +0000 http://www.doseofdigital.com/?p=1442#comment-2016 This is a brilliant idea! I think sooner or later everybody will have access to a doctor via internet and it might be a game changer. Ofcourse it will not solve every case, but a lot more people will fill much more safer having a doc available 24/7. Great post. This is a brilliant idea! I think sooner or later everybody will have access to a doctor via internet and it might be a game changer. Ofcourse it will not solve every case, but a lot more people will fill much more safer having a doc available 24/7.

Great post.

]]> By: Pawel Jurczynski http://www.doseofdigital.com/2009/08/pharma-cut-middleman-doctor/#comment-9170 Pawel Jurczynski Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:02:00 +0000 http://www.doseofdigital.com/?p=1442#comment-9170 This is a brilliant idea! I think sooner or later everybody will have access to a doctor via internet and it might be a game changer. Ofcourse it will not solve every case, but a lot more people will fill much more safer having a doc available 24/7. Great post. This is a brilliant idea! I think sooner or later everybody will have access to a doctor via internet and it might be a game changer. Ofcourse it will not solve every case, but a lot more people will fill much more safer having a doc available 24/7.

Great post.

]]> By: Pawel Jurczynski http://www.doseofdigital.com/2009/08/pharma-cut-middleman-doctor/#comment-9171 Pawel Jurczynski Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:02:00 +0000 http://www.doseofdigital.com/?p=1442#comment-9171 This is a brilliant idea! I think sooner or later everybody will have access to a doctor via internet and it might be a game changer. Ofcourse it will not solve every case, but a lot more people will fill much more safer having a doc available 24/7. Great post. This is a brilliant idea! I think sooner or later everybody will have access to a doctor via internet and it might be a game changer. Ofcourse it will not solve every case, but a lot more people will fill much more safer having a doc available 24/7.

Great post.

]]> By: Jonathan Richman http://www.doseofdigital.com/2009/08/pharma-cut-middleman-doctor/#comment-1981 Jonathan Richman Fri, 28 Aug 2009 01:59:54 +0000 http://www.doseofdigital.com/?p=1442#comment-1981 Michael, Fair enough challenge, but what if the doctor didn't know which site he or she appeared on? They only knew that they were working with American Well and that they might be used on certain pharma brand sites from time to time. That eliminates some of the apparent bias perhaps. No question the liability issue isn't resolved (and I don't have all the answers), but the question is if the liability issue is the only issue (albeit a big one), can the lawyers get comfortable with the risks versus the benefits in this case? Michael,

Fair enough challenge, but what if the doctor didn’t know which site he or she appeared on? They only knew that they were working with American Well and that they might be used on certain pharma brand sites from time to time. That eliminates some of the apparent bias perhaps. No question the liability issue isn’t resolved (and I don’t have all the answers), but the question is if the liability issue is the only issue (albeit a big one), can the lawyers get comfortable with the risks versus the benefits in this case?

]]> By: Jonathan Richman http://www.doseofdigital.com/2009/08/pharma-cut-middleman-doctor/#comment-9168 Jonathan Richman Fri, 28 Aug 2009 01:59:00 +0000 http://www.doseofdigital.com/?p=1442#comment-9168 Michael, Fair enough challenge, but what if the doctor didn't know which site he or she appeared on? They only knew that they were working with American Well and that they might be used on certain pharma brand sites from time to time. That eliminates some of the apparent bias perhaps. No question the liability issue isn't resolved (and I don't have all the answers), but the question is if the liability issue is the only issue (albeit a big one), can the lawyers get comfortable with the risks versus the benefits in this case? Michael,

Fair enough challenge, but what if the doctor didn’t know which site he or she appeared on? They only knew that they were working with American Well and that they might be used on certain pharma brand sites from time to time. That eliminates some of the apparent bias perhaps. No question the liability issue isn’t resolved (and I don’t have all the answers), but the question is if the liability issue is the only issue (albeit a big one), can the lawyers get comfortable with the risks versus the benefits in this case?

]]> By: Jonathan Richman http://www.doseofdigital.com/2009/08/pharma-cut-middleman-doctor/#comment-9169 Jonathan Richman Fri, 28 Aug 2009 01:59:00 +0000 http://www.doseofdigital.com/?p=1442#comment-9169 Michael, Fair enough challenge, but what if the doctor didn't know which site he or she appeared on? They only knew that they were working with American Well and that they might be used on certain pharma brand sites from time to time. That eliminates some of the apparent bias perhaps. No question the liability issue isn't resolved (and I don't have all the answers), but the question is if the liability issue is the only issue (albeit a big one), can the lawyers get comfortable with the risks versus the benefits in this case? Michael,

Fair enough challenge, but what if the doctor didn’t know which site he or she appeared on? They only knew that they were working with American Well and that they might be used on certain pharma brand sites from time to time. That eliminates some of the apparent bias perhaps. No question the liability issue isn’t resolved (and I don’t have all the answers), but the question is if the liability issue is the only issue (albeit a big one), can the lawyers get comfortable with the risks versus the benefits in this case?

]]>