Doctor appointments on the web

An online service that offers doctor appointments via a webcam will go live in Hawaii on Jan 15. From the New York Times article on this new service:

Patients use the service by logging on to participating health plans’ Web sites. Doctors hold 10-minute appointments, which can be extended for a fee, and can file prescriptions and view patients’ medical histories through the system. American Well is working with HealthVault, Microsoft’s electronic medical records service, and ActiveHealth Management, a subsidiary of Aetna, which scans patients’ medical history for gaps in their previous care and alerts doctors during their American Well appointment.

Click here to access. Disclosure: I have no financial relationship with this new service.