Hacker News Reader

Comment by Jessdonig | Hacker News Reader

Hi, this is Jessica from Call9. Just wanted to address a few points here:

1) When you call 911, you talk to a gatekeeper. That gatekeeper is a phone dispatcher, not a doctor. Talking to a doctor is not a delay in care--it's the reason people call 911 in the first place.

2) Since Call9 works with facilities such as nursing homes and has access to patient information, using Call9 actually saves time in the dispatch process.

3) As described in the article, it's not always that clear to the person calling 911 has "suspected heart attack symptoms". In the given example, he presented with abdominal pain. That is why having the doctor be the first point of contact is so important.

View on HN

Your doctor is a gatekeeper to 911, so you have an additional gatekeeper. I think you will find that anyone in the general public experiencing an emergency is going to call 911, not your service.

Your service might be useful in non-emergencies. It's basically like a family doctor visit on Skype. There are a number of companies offering this, but it's not clear how this helps with outcomes. (For example, http://nyti.ms/1fyWXeK)

For healthcare facilities, like nursing homes, you are basically providing a doctor on call via telemedicine. That is already heavily used. Many hospitals employ radiologists, neurologists, etc who can view diagnostic images and data remotely and provide consultation to the medical staff on site.

What I think is dishonest (and could cost lives) is advertising your service to the general public as an alternative to 911, and especially claiming that it is faster than 911.

These are interesting points. I think that it’s important to clarify a major differentiating factor between Call9 and other telemedicine providers: not only do we have an ER doctor directly interfacing with the patient immediately, but we also have on-site healthcare staff who are prepared to perform diagnostic tests and immediate medical interventions under a doctor’s direction. This is different than a consult where a doctor can only virtually advise, but cannot intervene; it is also different that calling a doctor for a specialty consult or a second opinion.

It is true that putting a doctor first in the process adds another step before calling 911. But it is a meaningful interaction that improves the quality and efficiency of the medical care (both by having an ER doctor assess the patient, and by having information ready so that the 911 call can go faster). It’s not about cutting out steps, but reorganizing the system to optimize care and save lives.

"Since Call9 works with facilities such as nursing homes and has access to patient information, using Call9 actually saves time in the dispatch process."

Wait. The facility shares PHI (protected health information) with Call9? Have the facility residents consented to this?

Yes

If this information is provided and accurate, this is awesome. I love it. :)

Too much time is taken while care providers ask each other vague questions about "do you know what he/she has?" when in my head I'm thinking "You should KNOW this. Or have it readily available!"

Reply on news.ycombinator.com