But I’m not the only one worried. According to a press release, aging Baby Boomers all feel threatened by future Medicare limits and are scrambling to find supplemental healthcare options.
That’s where MD247 feels it comes in. In the press release it talks about its telemedicine program, which allows telephone access to doctors and has just recently relaunched its Facebook page and Twitter account, to spark conversation among members.
Telemedicine means many things, from remotely monitoring patients from their homes for heart disease or diabetics for blood glucose levels, to linking patients with doctors by phone or text, cutting down on hospitalizations and readmissions when a doctor is so nearby for consultation.
As America ages – there were 39.6 million people over 65 in 2009, a number that is expected to grow from 12.4 percent of the population to double that by 2030 – healthcare needs are going to skyrocket.
And with obesity – which can cause heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other diseases – soaring, healthcare costs could bankrupt the country. One-third of American adults are overweight and so are almost 17 percent of children (or one in four).
It seems like we as a nation aren’t going to clean up our act anytime soon about eating right, nor, sadly, are our children, but telemedicine, and MD247, can help provide advice and counseling on these issues.
It’s still not clear that people prefer this service over going to see their doctors, though Michigan’s residents seem to like it. But in terms of convenience and cost, it’s a handy way to handle a medical problem. Of course, if you’re having a heart attack, this is not the way to go. But for a prescription for an earache, or a migraine, have at it!
MD247 cautions that its services are not for medical diagnosis, simply a way to talk to doctors for a minimum fee. Medicare is reducing hospital visits and readmissions as a way to cut costs but telemedicine allows patients to be “seen” while not actually needing to be seated in front of a doctor.
Edited by
Amanda Ciccatelli
