How are doctors selected?
How many doctors are under contract with
Dial-a-Doc™, Inc.?
Why do we use Board Certified Physicians?
How does a Dial-a-Doc™ doctor diagnose the
caller's needs over the telephone?
Does the Dial-a-Doc™ doctor receiving the call refer
the caller to a specific doctor or facility?
How long has tele-medicine been around, and
what type of results have they achieved?
Do the Dial-a-Doc™ doctors give their names
over the phone?
Are Dial-a-Doc™ calls recorded, and how are
they monitored?
What about liability?
What kind of insurance does Dial-a-Doc™ carry?
Q. - How are doctors selected?
A. - Doctors are selected for our Dial-a-Doc™ program with a minimum criteria of Board Certification and current licensure. Board Certification means that the physician has passed an intensive written examination and extensive training requirements. Board Certification is also above and beyond the requirements for State licensure and requires reexamination every seven to ten years depending on specialty.
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Q. - How many doctors are under contract with Dial-a-Doc™, Inc.?
A. - At this time Dial-a-Doc™ has over 300 Board Certified doctors on-call. In addition, Dial-a-Doc™, Inc. has over 1,000 Board Certified physicians in our pool who wish to join us when needed. As our program grows, we will add more doctors.
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Q. - Why do we use Board Certified Physicians?
A - A Board Certified Physician is one who has completed a mandatory amount of training and passed rigorous examinations in his or her specialty area. Only 40% of physicians in the United States are Board Certified and they represent the best that our country has to offer.
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Q. - How does a Dial-a-Doc™ doctor diagnose the caller's needs over the telephone?
A. - Our doctors are instructed not to make a diagnosis or offer any type of treatments. We are not practicing medicine. However, when a caller asks a question, our Dial-a-Doc™ doctors can give the caller specific answers in a generic way. For example: if the person calls about a fever and wants to know if they need to be seen by a doctor, the physician does not ask the caller about his or her symptoms, but offers information on what would make fevers a concern to the caller, such as a stiff neck, shortness of breath, urinary symptoms, etc. Per the AMA, nearly 75% of all doctor office visits are not needed. Dial-a-Doc™ compliments physicians and empowers the consumer to make wiser health care decisions, while at the same time giving the caller peace of mind.
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Q. - Does the Dial-a-Doc™ doctor receiving the call refer the caller to a specific doctor or facility?
A - No, our Dial-a-Doc™ physicians do not refer to any specific doctor or facility. This allows our physicians to maintain trust and objectivity with the caller. Our physicians do inform the callers on how to choose the right physician by explaining how to determine Board Certification and other qualifications. Based on the caller's needs, they will reccommend that he or she see a doctor if it is necessary.
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Q. - How long has tele-medicine been around, and what type of results have they achieved?
A - Nurse lines have been in existence for 14 years. They function by using a telephone "boiler room" type of setting with the nurse following a scripted protocol off of a computer screen. Calls are not personalized except to the extent of the computer protocol. The nurse has no discretion to deviate from the protocol. Dial-a-Doc™ physicians have extensive training and experience with which to deal with each caller's needs, and each individual caller is given specific information in regard to his/her questions. Our physicians are not limited by protocol; but rather, they base their information on their expertise. In spite of their limitations, nurse lines are being used by third party payers to reduce unnecessary outpatient visits. And of equal importance in the competitive market for insured lives, the nurse line affiliations make an insurance plan more competitive. Per the AMA, by 1997, 25 million individuals in this country will be utilizing some form of tele-medicine to reduce skyrocketing health care costs.
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Q. - Do the Dial-a-Doc™ doctors give their names over the phone?
A - Our doctors give their names at their discretion. Callers may not request the same doctors as we do not seek to establish a physician-patient relationship.
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Q. - Are Dial-a-Doc™ calls recorded, and how are they monitored?
A. - There are no recordings of individual Dial-a-Doc™ calls; however, all calls are documented by PIN number, time of call, duration, and the physician who took the call. We monitor calls on a periodic basis and have an 800# Consumer line for callers who have concerns or complaints. Those calls are followed up on the same day they are received; and an immediate response is given to the caller. If there is any question, a credit for time is given to the caller. Dial-a-Doc™ does not document the content of any call, in order to maintain confidentiality.
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Q. - What about liability?
A. - Many Dial-a-Doc™ clients have concerns about liability. In the past 14 years of operations, there has not been a single claim against medical telephone advice lines staffed by nurses. In addition, no claims were found in the professional liability literature, which was based on a telephone conversation with physicians.
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Q. - What kind of insurance does Dial-a-Doc™ carry?
A. - Dial-a-Doc™ carries Professional Liability insurance from Lexington Insurance Company, a AAA rated company. We carry $1MM/$1MM coverage and higher limits are available to meet specific client needs. Certificates of insurance are available upon request.
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