A horrific medical story in California, where a man was given a terminal diagnosis through a video screen. The hospital says it regrets it, but critics fear this is only the beginning.
We've all heard of doctors with poor bedside manner, but c'mon.
"This is where everybody has to draw the line and simply not accept it."
KTRH medical expert Dr. Joe Galati says we need to develop guidelines.
"When you're trying to address sensitive, emotional information to somebody -- basically life and death -- it's gotta be done in person, in the flesh."
Dr. Galati says he's all for telemedicine, but technology cannot override basic care.
"I would think that, be it an accident or a simple mistake or oversight, I think it raises the issue that we have to make sure we're using technology for the betterment of our patients and the profession in general."
The 78-year-old man was told he had just days to live, by robot video screen, at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Fremont, California.