離開
進入《中英對照讀新聞》Digital Rx: Take Two Aspirins 數位處方：服用兩顆阿斯匹靈
Doctors may no longer make house calls, but they are answering patient e-mail messages - and being paid for it.
醫師可能不再到府看診，不過他們現在回覆電子郵件訊息給病患─而且還有錢拿。
In a move to improve efficiency and control costs, health plans and medical groups around the country are now beginning to pay doctors to reply by e-mail, just as they pay for office visits. While some computer-literate doctors have been using e-mail to communicate informally with patients for years, most have never been paid for that service.
在一項為了改善效率與控制成本的措施中，全國各地的衛生計劃和醫療團體現在開始付錢請醫師用電子郵件回覆，就像他們受僱在診所看病。儘管有些善於使用電腦的醫師多年來已經在利用電子郵件和病人進行非正式溝通，大多數從未因為此項服務而獲得報酬。
Brian Settlemoir, 39, an accountant in Folsom, Calif., recently sent an e-mail message to his doctor to ask if it was time to reduce the dosage of a medicine after his cholesterol level dropped. The prompt answer was "not yet."
布萊恩．賽透莫伊爾，三十九歲，加州佛爾森的會計師，最近寄一封電子郵件給他的醫師，詢問他的膽固醇降低後，是否可以減少一種藥劑的用量。收到的迅速回覆是「還不行」。
"I'm sitting at work," Mr. Settlemoir said. "I've got e-mail open anyway. It's much easier than calling and getting voice-mail prompts and sitting on hold."
「我得工作，」賽透莫伊爾先生說。「我反正都得開啟電子郵件。和打電話、聽語音信箱提示，以及等電話接通相比，這容易多了。」
Dictionary-新聞辭典
Rx：此為 recipe 的縮寫，意指處方、方法。例如 Rx for a healthy summer，即是夏日養生法。
house call：（醫師）到府看診、（維修人員）到府服務、（股票經紀人發給客戶的）催繳通知。
…-literate：精通…的。例句：Even those who don't have access to a computer often ask computer-literate friends or family to do the searching for them. （即使是無法接觸到電腦的人也經常要求精通電腦的朋友或家人幫他們進行搜尋。）
office visit：（病人到）診所看病。例句：When Dr. Smith sees that patients don't have money or they don't have insurance, he will discount that amount to the least possible amount so they can afford the office visit. （史密斯醫師看到病人沒有錢或沒有保險時，就會把醫藥費盡可能打折到最低，好讓他們能負擔得起到診所看病。）
voice-mail：語音信箱。
