Hospitals Resort to Phone-a-Doctor

Remember when you went to the hospital to see a real, human doctor – live and in the flesh? Those were the days, eh?

It seems that more hospitals are using telemedicine for night coverage situations.

A company called Eagle Telemedicine is pushing the concept, saying that telemedicine is also proving successful in addressing nocturnal staffing gaps at hospitals of all sizes, rural and metropolitan alike.

During times when hospitals are slow, it makes sense to have doctors on call rather than paying them in full to show up for a slow shift.

At least, that’s the idea.

In many hospitals, budget constraints may mean that the choice is between telemedicine and nothing – since they don’t have the funds to keep fully staffed 24/7.