A recurring theme here is the extent to which everything about the healthcare system is broken. We generally have long wait times, insurance is absurdly expensive and we are collectively very unhealthy. Most people take a lot of medication, not only for whatever issue they have but also medication to manage the side effects of the medication they take to treat whatever issue they have.
Neal Templin's latest article for Barron's looks at how he uses AI to help with health stuff. One example he gave was about whether to use creatine or not. One way he would not use it was to get an opinion about getting a heart ablation. He said he saw his doctor and then got a second opinion from another doctor. AI could have played a role in his ablation though. In that instance, AI could have helped him come up with better questions to ask his doctor and his second opinion visit. Better questions, not conclusions.
A couple of weeks ago I said that I had signed up for Amazon One Medical (AOM). I hadn't had a physical in a while and needed a new doctor. I tried going the conventional route with Banner in Tucson and they couldn't get me in until March.
On October 7th I enrolled in AOM, had a video consult with a doctor on October 9, got blood drawn on October 16th and had the follow up to go over the bloodwork on October 23 (all good!). AOM is a few things. It can match you up with a doctor which is what I did and it takes my admittedly crappy health insurance which is another form of optionality, cheaper insurance. Through the AOM system, the doctor sent orders through to Sonora Quest which didn't go too smoothly. I went to the one in Prescott Valley and they didn't know what to do. I called in to AOM customer service and they are very good, the rep sent me the orders through the portal which I printed and took in with me to a Sonora Quest in Tucson.
In addition to matching me with a doctor and the customer service number, there is a concierge type of service for simple medical things, like refilling prescriptions or getting a new prescription for something like a urinary tract infection (their examples). That sort of consult is pretty much available immediately. Concierge is my word, if you think there is a better or more accurate description, please leave a comment.
There was a little bit of a learning curve for me and I probably still don't have it all dialed in. I couldn't figure out how to find the orders for my bloodwork. It wasn't an issue for AOM to send it as I described but still. I also had trouble figuring out how to circle back to the same doctor for a follow up. On a different call to AOM customer service the rep said to think of it more as a clinic which made sense but I was able to find the same doc and follow up with him.
A fair point here is to wonder, well is the doctor any good. I have no real basis to know. I found him on LinkedIn and he's been practicing since 2002. He seemed to know things and he was personable.
If you've been reading my blog for a while you might know that I am a health enthusiast, I get teased in the fire department about being a health nut which is fair. When I had the follow up with the doctor he said something to the effect of "you weren't kidding about exercising," he could see that in my numbers. I also got a couple of "wow...for your age" comments which I take as supporting the idea that a couple of simple habits (lift weights, low carb diet) can slow down the aging process on cellular and metabolic levels.
Good health and fitness is optionality, I've made that comment 100 times. If you're skeptical about AOM or any other telehealth and think the quality of care might not be great, you might be correct for someone who needs more care and more interventions. The optionality in this context is being able to get away with substandard care for now because I just need bloodwork every so often, if something pops up, hopefully I'd be catching early.
I am acutely aware how fortunate I am to not need any clever doctoring or need to manage any sort of chronic malady. I believe lifting weights and greatly reducing carbohydrate consumption is how to avoid chronic conditions that require medication and then more medication to treat the side effects of the first medication. I realize I said that above.
Amazon One Medical solves a problem for me which is why I am sharing this, maybe it solves a problem or two for other people too.
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