Word: kovachevich
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...service certainly could soothe a sore spot. American physicians are notoriously hard to reach, leaving thousands of patients frustrated by their inability to get answers to basic medical questions. In addition, asserts Dr. Thomas Kovachevich, 49, founder of Doctors by Phone, patients often hesitate to bother their busy doctors with problems that seem too trivial or embarrassing. Kovachevich, an adjunct assistant professor of family medicine at the Chicago Osteopathic Medical Center, points to a class of relatively simple medical queries that can be addressed quickly and effectively over the telephone. These range from deciding which specialist to consult to interpreting...
Since 900 numbers are perhaps better known for personalized horoscopes and phone sex than serious subjects like medical care, Kovachevich has taken pains to underscore the respectability of his operation. To avoid obvious conflicts of interest, he does not allow his doctors to see the patients they talk to (all referrals are made to the New York County Medical Society), and his staff cannot prescribe medications over the phone. Such caution is also a hedge against malpractice suits. Although the service is fully insured, some courts have been critical of care delivered by telephone...
...comparable with that offered to entry- level emergency room attendants (about $40 an hour), and the work, some feel, is more rewarding. Says Dr. Neil Stollman, 28, a senior resident in internal medicine at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center who has manned the phones on and off for Kovachevich since June: "In the emergency room, I would often get this kind of call. Just a simple question. But meanwhile two people are dying. I just didn't have time to talk. This gives me the opportunity to focus on a patient." Kovachevich predicts a new era of "information doctors" who specialize...
...exam. Richard Kessel, executive director of New York State's Consumer Protection Board, which is looking into the service, notes that patients may be spending money on what they think is a final answer, when "many will still have to go to a doctor and pay additional bills." Kovachevich says that about 75% of calls are indeed referred to other doctors...
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