GeekSugar

Geeksugar Chats with Modern Day Doc Jay Parkinson

GeekSugar — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 11:05:00 PDT

Have you ever imagined having a doctor that you could call, email, IM, text or have video chats with at any time of day? Well for patients of Dr. Jay Parkinson, this is not only a possibility, but a virtual reality. Last week I had the pleasure of chatting with charismatic Parkinson, who operates his high-tech practice out of Williamsburg, NY. Unlike traditional doctor's visits that include expensive fees and long wait times for treatment, Parkinson offers "e-visits," in which he uses communication technology to manage his patients. Whether it be in the form of emails or video chats, Parkinson's new-age approach to health care is not only convenient for his patients, but very affordable as well.

Mixing the old with the new, Parkinson makes house call visits (picture cute doc at your door), offers unlimited consultation on IM or email and is available Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm and 24/7 for emergencies. With a user-friendly website that he designed himself, new and existing patients are able to access a Google calendar that is integrated directly on the site to view Parkinson's schedule. And if you want to make an appointment, you can instantly log-in and schedule yourself an appointment in one of Parkinson's open time slots - just like that.

Working from his MacBook and an iPhone, Parkinson can access his calendar, phone numbers, email, and electronic medical records on-site using Life Record. By utilizing the latest technologies Parkinson is able to renew prescriptions on the fly and receive updates about his patients' symptoms and conditions via email. When I asked Parkinson about online security, he said that all medical records are encrypted, password protected and stored on a remote server. He said he prefers to use Adium and iChat as his IM chat applications since they are both very secure.

Considering 72 percent of geeksugar readers said they tend to use the internet instead of their doctor to diagnose medical conditions and consumers can now take cell phone pictures of their meals for nutritional consultations, it's no doubt that people are wanting "modern medicine" to catch-up with the conveniences of "modern technology"-something Dr. Parkinson has already established with his approach.

To learn more about Parkinson, you can visit his blog here and check out his artistic talents on his Flickr page - yes he's not only a doctor but a photographer as well, talk about being the real deal!

Source

9 Secrets to Shrinking Your Medical Bills

Emily Co — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 03:05:29 PDT

Medical bills can be very expensive - the US spends $3 trillion annually on healthcare expenses - but I recently learned from the book 101 Ways to Save Money on Health Care that there are many tricks to shaving off costs. The book is full of advice, and here are some of author Doc Cindy's recommended tips:

Have your doctor choose a medicine from your insurance formulary and bring a copy with you to every visit. Savings: $5 to $50 on a prescription co-pay.
Comparison shop between pharmacies - jeans cost more at one store than another, and so do medications. Savings: $5 to $30.
Get a flu vaccine at your local health department. Savings: $10 to $30.
Take advantage of health fair screening tests for cholesterol testing. Savings: $100.

For more tips, read on.

Frugal Fido: 13 Ways to Save Bucks on Your New Dog

Emily Co — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 05:00:54 PDT

The cost of raising a dog is extremely high. In fact, if you look at rates to fly with your dog on airplanes, it's sometimes almost equivalent to what we humans are paying for a plane ticket. And it all adds up - you end up spending a never-ending amount of cash on toys, crates, flea medication, checkups, and the list goes on. However, many think the high costs of raising a dog are totally worth it. To reduce the costs of what you think is a necessary expense, here are some tips on saving money on your new dog:

Adopt a Doggie: If you're not too picky about the breeds, getting your dog from a shelter is cheaper than spending over a thousand for a purebred puppy from a breeder. Further, many of the pets have already been vaccinated and spayed or neutered, which will definitely save you money in vet bills.
Pick a Responsible Breeder: If you have your heart set on a pooch from a breeder, make sure you do your homework lest you end up with a sick dog from a puppy mill. Do research online to see what qualities a responsible breeder has, and go take a look at the dog and inspect the environment it's being raised in. Ask for references from sources like the breeder's vet, ask to see the dog's parents (if they are around) and quiz her on how she raises her dogs. Here are more questions to ask a prospective breeder.
Costco For Pets or Buy Online: Check to see if there is a warehouse superstore for pet supplies in your area. For example, Pet Club in the Bay Area gives great discounts if you buy in bulk. Great for buying items in bulk such as urine pads, cleaning solvent, and poop bags. Another option is to see if you can find better deals online - Four Paws wee wee pads are available on Amazon at a 46 percent discount, so be sure to look around online for great bargains.
Neuter or Spay at the ASPCA: Spaying or neutering your dog can be extremely pricey. Check out your local ASPCA for cheaper prices on the surgery. To compare prices, I called a local vet that quoted me a hefty $800 for a small breed puppy, while the ASPCA in San Francisco quoted me $225. However, after asking around, my friend told me about an even better deal at another ASPCA, located a little further away in Oakland, CA, which charged $100 to spay/neuter. Be sure to check out the prices of the different clinics, even if they are under the same organization. The local Humane Society clinics were even cheaper so you might want to check out their prices as well. Lesson to learn: always shop around for pet health services.
Housebreak Your Dog: If you train your dog to "go" outside of your house, you don't have to waste money buying expensive pee pads and you'll be using less cleaning solvent for the messes that accidentally spill from the pad to the floor.

For more tips to saving on Fido, read after the jump.