ANCHOR LEAD IN:
KNOW HOW HARD IT CAN BE TO GET A DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT THESE DAYS? WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU NEEDED A SECOND OPINION RIGHT AWAY? TURN ON YOUR COMPUTER...IN TODAY'S HEADS UP - SECOND 'E-PINIONS'!

TRACK ONE Length: : 04
MARY JEAN YON LOVES TO RUN. UNFORTUNATELY, THAT'S A STRETCH FOR HER THESE DAYS...

SOT:
KEY @ :12 Mary Jean Yon, Heart Patient
"I ended up in the emergency room after running a race with a really rapid heartbeat. And since that time, I've been diagnosed with ventricular tachocardia."

TRACK TWO Length: :03
DOCTORS INSTALLED A DEFIBRILLATOR - THEN TOLD YON SHE'D HAVE TO EASE UP.

SOT:
KEY @: :20 Mary Jean Yon, Heart Patient
"The way the defibrillator is set up is, when you push yourself like I do, you get shocked."

TRACK THREE Length: :04
BUT AFTER 20 YEARS AS A RUNNER, SHE WASN'T READY TO HANG UP HER RUNNING SHOES...

SOT
NO KEY - short and covered Mary Jean Yon, Heart Patient
"My doctor here says let's get another opinion."

TRACK FOUR Length: : 21
Source: According to a 2001 survey by Cyber Dialogue, Inc., approximately 3 million people used the Internet for online consultations with a medical expert. http://www.bioethics.net/journal/j_articles.php?aid=86
YON'S DOCTOR SUGGESTED AN ONLINE CONSULTATION SERVICE, WHERE PATIENTS CAN GET TOP HOSPITALS TO EXAMINE THEIR CASES WITHOUT EVER LEAVING HOME. ABOUT 3 MILLION PEOPLE USE ONLINE CONSULTATIONS - AND THAT NUMBER IS GROWING. PATIENTS OR DOCTORS SIMPLY SEND IN MEDICAL RECORDS ON THE ORIGINAL DIAGNOSIS...
YON SENT HER RECORDS TO THE E-CLEVELAND CLINIC.

NATS:
Length: :03
"I've got x-rays, I've got their labs from 5 years ago..."

SOT
KEY @: :56 Dr. C. Martin Harris, General Internist and CIO for e-Cleveland Clinic
"The site also then directs you to what information you must provide to us in order to have the second opinion rendered.

TRACK FIVE Length: : 06
THAT CAN INCLUDE ALL SORTS OF MEDICAL DATA - ONCE IT ARRIVES, A HOST OF DOCTORS REVIEWS THE CASE...

SOT:
KEY @: 1:07 Dr. C. Martin Harris, General Internist and CIO for e-Cleveland Clinic
"The service includes not only the primary sub-specialist but any other medical professional that's required in the care of that patient."

TRACK SIX Length: : 03
YON LIKED THE ATTENTION TO DETAIL THE E-CLINIC PROVIDED.

SOT
NO KEY (very short)Mary Jean Yon, Heart Patient
"It's like you've become a research project."

TRACK SEVEN Length: 12
AND SHE LIKED WHAT SHE HEARD, TOO. NEXT MONTH, SHE'LL ACTUALLY TRAVEL TO THE RENOWNED CLEVELAND CLINIC FOR A NEW OPERATION. THE E-TEAM'S DIAGNOSIS? THAT YON WILL BE BACK POUNDING THE PAVEMENT VERY SOON.

ANCHOR TAG:
HARRISS SAYS INSURERS DON'T USUALLY PICK UP THE COST OF THE ONLINE CONSULTATION - WHICH COSTS ABOUT 600-DOLLARS. AND IT IS STILL PRIMARILY FOR PEOPLE WITH LIFE-THREATENING OR LIFE-ALTERING MEDICAL PROBLEMS. STILL, BOTH HE AND YON THINK WE'LL SEE MUCH MORE OF THESE SERVICES GOING FORWARD.

SOURCE INFORMATION:

Dr. C. Martin Harris, M.D., M.B.A.
Chief Information Officer and Chairman of the Information Technology Division of The Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio, where he also is a staff member in the Department of General Internal Medicine. Additionally, Dr. Harris is Executive Director of e-Cleveland Clinic, a series of e-health clinical programs offered over the Internet, and is an advisor to Foundation Medical Partners, a venture capital fund of The Cleveland Clinic with investment interest in information technologies. In his role as Chief Information Officer, Dr. Harris is responsible for implementing information technology strategies which support the business objectives of The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Dr. Harris is a member of the e-Health Initiative Leadership Council, where his focus has been on eliminating hurdles to the development of the e-health marketplace. Dr. Harris received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He also holds a Masters in Business Administration in Healthcare Management from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

"My Consult" is a Web-based second opinion service offered by e-Cleveland Clinic, the facility's Internet service. Patients who have received a diagnosis of any of more than 600 life-threatening or life-altering conditions can request an electronic consultation with a Cleveland Clinic doctor. For $565, a physician provides a written second opinion and a treatment recommendation -- all within five to seven working days of receiving a completed request.

ADDTITIONAL SOURCE AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
According to a 2002 assessment by the eRisk Working Group on Healthcare:
Online Consultation vs. Online Diagnosis and Treatment. Health care providers should attempt to distinguish between online consultation related to pre-existing conditions, ongoing treatment, follow-on question related to previously-discussed conditions etc., and new diagnosis and treatment addressed solely online. New diagnosis and treatment of conditions, solely online, may increase liability exposure.
http://www.medem.com/phy/phy_eriskguidelines.cfm