Abstract: A system for delivering medical examination, diagnosis, and treatment services includes a plurality of health care practitioner terminals, each having a display device, a plurality of patient terminals in audiovisual communication with any of the health care practitioner terminals, a call center, in communication with the patient terminals and the health care practitioner terminals, routing a call from a patient at one of the patient terminals to an available health care practitioner at one of the health care practitioner terminals, so that the available health care practitioner may carry on a two-way conversation with the patient and visually observe the patient, and a protocol database containing a plurality of protocol segments such that a relevant segment of the protocol may be displayed in real time on the display device of the health care practitioner terminal for use by the available health care practitioner in making an assessment of the patient.

Abstract: A system for delivering medical examination, diagnosis, and treatment services from a health care practitioner to a patient over a network includes a plurality of health care practitioner terminals and a plurality of patient terminals in audiovisual communication over the network with any of the plurality of health care practitioner terminals. Each of the plurality of health care practitioner terminals includes a display device. The system also includes a call center in communication with the patient terminals and the health care practitioner terminals. The call center routs a call from a patient at one of the patient terminals to an available health care practitioner at one of the health care practitioner terminals so that the available health care practitioner may carry on a two-way conversation with the patient and visually observe the patient. The available health care practitioner may make an assessment of the patient and treat the patient.

Abstract: A method for providing a covering physician service includes informing a patient of a practicing physician of the availability of the plurality of patient terminals and referring the patient to one of the patient terminals upon the agreement of the patient. A call from the patient at the patient terminal is received at a call center. The call center enables any of a first plurality of physician (or other health care practitioner) terminals to be in audio-visual communication over the network with any of a second plurality of patient terminals. The call is routed to an available physician or other health care practitioner at one of the health care practitioner terminals so that the available physician may carry on a two-way conversation with the patient and visually observe the patient. The available physician or health care practitioner is permitted to make an assessment of the patient and to treat the patient.

Abstract: A method for providing a covering physician service includes informing a patient of a practicing physician of the availability of the plurality of patient terminals and referring the patient to one of the patient terminals upon the agreement of the patient. A call from the patient at the patient terminal is received at a call center. The call center enables any of a first plurality of physician (or other health care practitioner) terminals to be in audio-visual communication over the network with any of a second plurality of patient terminals. The call is routed to an available physician or other health care practitioner at one of the health care practitioner terminals so that the available physician may carry on a two-way conversation with the patient and visually observe the patient. The available physician or health care practitioner is permitted to make an assessment of the patient and to treat the patient.

Abstract: A system and method for delivering medical examination, diagnosis, and treatment services from a physician to a patient over network is provided. A physician call center enables any of a first plurality of physician terminals to be in audiovisual communication over the network with any of a second plurality of patient terminals. A call is received at the call center from a patient at one of the patient terminals and the call is routed to an available physician at one of the physician terminals. The available physician may carry on a two-way conversation with the patient, visually observe the patient, and make an assessment whether the patient may be suffering from an acute non-urgent condition. The available physician may conduct an examination of the patient over the network, including by visual study of the patient, only if the assessment is that the patient may be suffering from an acute non-urgent condition.