Too busy to get your sore throat checked out? Now you can tapout your symptoms, talk to a nurse-practioner online, and get adiagnosis, treatment and even a prescription back within 30minutes.

HealthPartners, aMinnesota non-profit health care organization, is expanding a 24/7online clinic into Wisconsin. anyone living, working or travelingin either state can log  onto virtuwell.com  formedical help with around 30 common and relatively minor medicalconditions, including ear pain, lice, acne, and yeast infections,no appointment needed.

To pay, patients type in their credit card numbers to cover the$40 or less fee —satisfaction guaranteed, according to thewebsite. Cigna and HealthPartners insurance policies cover theonline treatments; other companies may soon follow, according toHealthPartners spokeswoman Jessica Flannigan.

Since launching the program in Minnesota in October, said KevinPalattao, vice president with Virtuwell, the site has gotten”thousands” of visits and feedback is “very positive.”

It will be interesting to see what kind of response the programgets here in Wisconsin. It might be helpful in meeting the needs ofunderserved rural areas, but in Madison I wonder if there will bemuch demand. Just last summer a couple of walk-in clinics Meriterhad opened to much fanfare in local Shopko stores were shut downfor lack of business, noted Meriter spokeswoman Mae Knowles. Peoplepreferred going to their regular doctors and clinics, she said.

Knowles asked the same question I had when I read theorganization’s press release. It’s definitely an intriguingconcept. but can online medical treatment safely and effectivelytake the place of hands-on and eyes-on care?  “How can you be seenwithout being seen?” she wondered. “How can they diagnose thedifference between a sore throat and strep throat without seeing apatient in person? “

Palattao answered these questions with an e-mail. “We know thatmany simple conditions can be accuratelydiagnosed with a thoroughmedical interview, and in some cases a picture as well,” he wrote.(Patients are always asked to provide a medical history andsometimes asked to upload photos of any visible ailment to thesite.)

Patients with more serious problems, or who require a physicalexam or a lab test, are told to end their online sessions and headto in-person care. “But for conditions we do treat, diagnosing themon line is very effective,” he wrote. It also is cheaper and moreefficient than an office visit, he said.