This picture from 3G Doctor is remarkable. It captures the flier of a Merck supported Mexican Medmobile initiative that apparently connects patients with their doctors via SMS (translation available on 3G Doctor Blog)
But don’t expect fliers of this type in American offices anytime soon. Risk of privacy violation and difficulty in documentation stifle this level of doctor-patient connectivity. The very laws created to protect patients may ultimately thwart the timely adoption of new communication channels.
And the slow march towards a single payer system will only make real connectivity a rare bird.
Look to the groundswell in mobile technology and social platforms will force change in our current privacy laws. Until then look for innovation to come from the second and third world.
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Many folks are starting to suggest that it's not just our privacy laws that need revamping but our Constitution…could be a morsel of truth to this if we really want to move forward and stay grounded in today's world and not the world dreamed up by people no longer around.
Sometimes slow adoption of new technology is worth the delay in increased patient care. We have to make sure that we are not putting patient information out there. On the other hand, companies in the cardiac event monitor services as well as other health care services would do well to explore the possibility of the increased connectivity provided by new technology.