A new Web site TalktoaDoc.org has been launched that allows patients to talk to doctors online using text (keyboard), voice (microphone), and/or video (Webcam). This development shows that doctors have finally embraced the technology age.

 

The site provides a convenient way for patients to interact with their doctor using their computers. All they require is a PC, a Web cam and Internet connection.

 

TalktoaDoc.org gives patients the first minute of the conversation free and charges $2.98 per additional minute thereafter. This allows patients to get even simple questions answered without having to pay a high flat fee.

 

Those with no insurance can also use the site as TalktoaDoc.org does not go through insurance companies. And while this new service does not intend to replace regular doctor visits, it can supplement them and can provide doctors online at any time, not just during set hours.

 

Other medical advice sites require patients to pay a yearly membership fee and a high flat fee up front before they can even talk to a doctor. These sites also have doctors who do not carry medical malpractice insurance. TalktoaDoc.org does not require any money up front, gives patients the first minute of the conversation free, and requires all doctors to carry medical malpractice insurance and be licensed in the state in which the patient is located.

 

TalktoaDoc.org donates a portion of its net proceeds to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in honor of its founder's brother who died of the disease in 1994.