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Article From Medem
PCOM Digest Winter 2002

 
Gulf Coast Pain Management
Lynne Carr Columbus, DO

The Doctor is Online

 
“Progress” is often a double-edged sword. In the health care delivery system, for instance,
managed care has made office visits more affordable for many, but it has reduced the
amount of time physicians can spend with their patients. Progress has also introduced new
modes of communication and great advances in the electronic transfer of information.
Lynn Carr Columbus, DO ’90, has embraced technological progress to fill in the gaps
created by managed care. Dr. Columbus is one of a growing number of physicians using
online consultations to communicate with her patients.
 
Dr. Columbus has had a Web site for three years through which her patients could
set up appointments, have their prescriptions refilled and ask brief questions. Last spring
she was chosen by Medem, a for-profit Internet company, to be among the first 1,000
physicians to participate in their online consultation service. Today, Medem, which is
HIPAA-compliant and backed by the American Medical Association and other physician
groups, is open to any physician who chooses to participate. Dr. Columbus maintains
both her original site and a Medem site. Medem enables her to charge for patients for
online “visits.”
 
“Patients can still schedule appointments, get their prescriptions refilled and ask brief
questions for free,” explains Dr. Columbus. More involved consults cost the patient
$30,  with $2.50 of that going to Medem. “Patients love this service, it really helps
them feel connected with me as a physician.” And, since Dr. Columbus’ specialty is
pain  management, she feels her patients especially appreciate the ease of e-mail for
medication consults. “It’s often difficult for patients with back pain, for example,
to sit and wait in the office. So I let them do two online consults, and then come in
for the third one to be seen in person. It wouldn’t work for emergency situations;
it’s for routine consults and follow-ups.” Online consults are useful for patients’ family
members as well. “If patients sign a waiver,  I can correspond with their family members
who may not live in the area. This really helps give everyone peace of mind.”
 
Dr. Columbus says she spends about a half hour in the morning and a half hour
in the evening reading and answering her office e-mail, “it really doesn’t take that
much time,” she insists. “And,” she adds, “I’m always accessible. I recently answered
e-mails from Budapest.”
 
Dr. Columbus estimates she spends about $1,500 a year to maintain the site, which
includes paying for the domain name and to be included in search engines. In return,
the Internet brings her two to three new patients a week. She also uses the sites to
introduce herself to referring physicians.
 
“It’s just a matter of time,” Dr. Columbus believes, “before patients are going to
expect this of their doctors.”

More Articles About Gulf Coast Pain Management
Dr. Lynne Carr Columbus, D.O.

 

When one clearly understands pain;
when one absolutely knows
the proper treatment, then one can offer
to any patient
personal pain management that works.
This is my specialization.

-Dr. Lynne Carr Columbus

 

 

©2000 - 2008 Gulf Coast Pain Management
Dr. Lynne C. Columbus
3890 Tampa Road Suite 308
Morton Plant Mease East Lake Outpatient Center
Palm Harbor, Florida
34684

Phone: (727) 789-0891  Fax: (727) 789-1570
E-mail:
info@gulfcoastpain.com