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Previous Volume 332:474-476 February 16, 1995 Number 7 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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To the Editor: In your recent editorial "Access to Specialty Care" (Oct. 27 issue),¹ you mention informal, unofficial "sidewalk" or telephone consultations. Many physicians refer to such consultations as "curbsides."¹ These consultations save health maintenance organizations (HMOs) money, because the specialists consulted at curbside are not reimbursed for their time and expertise. Although lawyers customarily bill for telephone calls and verbal advice, doctors generally do not charge for these services. In specialties such as cardiology and gastroenterology, there will always be a base-line number of consultations: these specialists perform procedures such as cardiac catheterization and endoscopy that generalists cannot perform. . . . [Full Text of this Article]

References

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Wegner, S. E., Humble, C. G., Feaganes, J., Stiles, A. D. (2008). Estimated Savings From Paid Telephone Consultations Between Subspecialists and Primary Care Physicians. Pediatrics 122: e1136-e1140 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Donohoe, M. T. (1998). Comparing Generalist and Specialty Care: Discrepancies, Deficiencies, and Excesses. Arch Intern Med 158: 1596-1608 [Abstract] [Full Text]