Liability is always an issue with offshoring. As an American I want someone to sue if I use an "online doctor" and they don't catch my cancer in its early stages. All jokes aside, people want a doctor they can trust.

Hospitals are talking about outsourcing radiology, because radiologists usually don't meet with patients anyway, they just look at images. Doctors, of course, are against this. I think that it was such hubris for white color workers to think their jobs were safe when blue color jobs were be sent out of the country. What did people really expect?

Good ol' Maddox has some comments.

Liability is one of those bureaucratic things that would have to be dealt with somehow, like licensing. These doctors, though, would be used differently from how we use doctors today, although there might be some segment of the American population who would rely heavily on them solely for their care (those who can't afford regular care now). It might be like going to a pretty generic person who would at least know enough to know when to send you to a better-trained doctor, but is able to answer most of your questions. Since they can't physically do many things, they can't completely replace doctors for most people.

I think outsourcing radiological analysis is a good example of where this could go. Hmm, there would probably be the same general liability concerns here. Maybe we'll see these problems and solutions fleshed out in this application first. White collar jobs are truly no longer safe from competition. If that means more Americans have to start working hard, that's just too damn bad. I think I agree with the one like Maddox, once again.

Once last thing: we are seeing communications going in the other direction. That is, doctors in third world countries using and consulting the special knowledge of their counterparts in the States over the Internet. This, of course, isn't to cut jobs and save money, but to save lives when people have rare diseases that these doctors aren't trained to treat. We need knowledge-based systems for these cases.

I can't imagine getting a diagnosis without physically seeing someone. I currently go to a nurse practitioner for my female medical needs. She's supper good at the basic stuff, but knows her limitations and tells me to see a gynecologist if she's unsure about something. I think having more nurse practitioners is the way to go.

Do you immediately see a doctor when something feels wrong/different? I know I don't, but if I had access to a doctor where I didn't have to make appointments or move out of my chair or think of the cost, etc. it would be different. If they weren't able to completely assure me that everything was fine, then I'd go see someone. It would be like having a human google for your medical needs or something like that.

But maybe more nurse practitioners would obviate a need for this if they too were more easily accessible and cheaper. Maybe everyone else always has serious problems that require more information than is possible to get over the phone, that just hasn't been my experience more than half the time. Or I just wish I had some doctor friends who I could call up all the time.

i pretty much imediately see a clinician (doctor or nurse practitioner) when something is wrong. but, i'm a bit nerotic.

doctor friends are the best.