You know the clichés about bloggers in their pajamas? Well, we think the Health Care Blog has found the medical world's equivalent - a young doctor in Brooklyn who runs a "virtual office" from a laptop in his bedroom. (On the youtube video, however, he was not in pajamas). We don't agree with Parkinson about everything - his cyber-savvy practice catering to young, uninsured but artsy New Yorkers who can't afford insurance but can pay $175 for an occasional visit from a young artsy New York doctor (Parkinson is also a photographer) isn't a model for fixing U.S. healthcare today and it's easy to be cavalier about being uninsured until you get a high-cost illness or are struck by that proverbial bus. But we like seeing creative ways of harnessing efficient and patient-friendly high tech into doctor's practices. Parkinson's patients, for instance, can book their own appointments at their convenience in his online calender without anyone putting them on "hold." And we were fascinated not just by the post on him but also the comments it has provoked from readers.

Parkinson operates out of the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, making house calls to his patients. He keeps their medical records, test results and x-rays on his laptop, and uses the Internet for many routine purposes, cutting out administrative staff and costs. Patients don't have to spend an hour in a waiting room or play telephone tag to get referrals, prescription renewals and the like. Parkinson also answers patients' questions via computer and checks labs and tests that he can access online. Lots of it makes sense for patients that are reasonably young with health issues that are reasonably easy to manage. (Although until someone figures out how to resolve the myriad challenges of online privcy and how to make various electronic records systems compatible, a cyberpractice can only reach so far.) We don't think his approach would work as well for other populations - people who are older, sicker, poorer or just not as Internet-savvy. And we would rather fix the health insurance system than just say how terrible insurers are. But we liked his enthusiasm, dedication and eagerness to bring doctors' practices -- not just high tech tests and devices -- into the 21st century.