DRSHIP:Mr S is a 67-year-old retired public service worker who lives in the Boston area with his wife. He has Medicare and indemnity insurance. Approximately 4 months ago, Mr S started to communicate by e-mail with his hospital-based primary care physician Dr G, using the hospital’s secure Internet site for patients. Previously, Mr S would call his physician with questionsandleaveamessage.Henowfindselectroniccommunication both easier and faster. He has not encountered problemswiththisformofcommunicationandhasfewconcerns about privacy. Mr S tries to keep his e-mails brief because he feels that his physician’s time is valuable. Mr S understands that it takes time for his physician to respond to e-mail questions and says he would be willing to pay additionally for this. However, he is not sure how much such service is worth.
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Warner V. Slack (2004) studied this question.