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TECHNOLOGY
Doctors resist using e-mail
While it seems like a slam-dunk way to handle routine communication, a new study shows less than a quarter of American physicians use e-mail to talk with patients.
Researchers at the Center for Studying Health System Change in Washington said one of the major reasons that doctors have been reluctant to do electronic consults is that there's no provision to be paid for their time. The other big concern is that doctors don't want to add a big slug of e-mail correspondence to their workday.
Allison Liebhaber, a researcher with the nonpartisan policy research organization, said while a few health plans are testing payments for e-mail interactions, "reimbursement remains limited and that's likely a major barrier to physician adoption."