Take 2 and IM Him in the Morning

Eschewing traditional practice, a Brooklyn doctor is using the Internet to generate and conduct much of his business, Yahoo News reports. For $500, patients get three yearly examinations from Jay Parkinson, and can email or text him during the business day. "I'm not so much an online doctor," Parkinson says. "I am a doctor who utilizes good communication for my patients."

Parkinson says he's found health care providers and facilities willing to help his patients—most of whom are uninsured—at lowered costs. But he only accepts patients within his zip code, between 18 and 40. Critics chalk up his success to the fact that he only deals with the healthiest age group, and worry that the Internet doesn't sufficiently safeguard patients' privacy. (More medicine stories.)