A number of people don't have computers but are interested in doing this. Some doctors don't have Internet access, and one didn't have a computer. Overall, rural patients are less interested in email, he says. We are getting very valuable information about real life on the Web. Privacy concerns may make email consultations more susceptible to fraud.
More people use the Web for health information than to look up sports scores.
Executives at Oxford are considering reimbursement of physicians for email, but the company will release no information as of yet. And Cigna HealthCare is only monitoring the use of the Internet as a consultative tool. Empire HealthChoice in New York is beginning to move toward reimbursement. This spring, the Blue Cross insurer began rolling out a Web portal for its network of more than 70,000 doctors. Once the doctors are comfortable with the Web portal as an interface, an email function won't be far behind.