[shakna]

Looking over the article, and guessing, here.

This isn't likely to be a what a phone appointment is.

A phone appointment is what it sounds like. A set time, generally within normal office hours, pre-arranged, for the doctor and patient to speak.

It's simply a way of not taxing the patient with travel, especially if they need to travel any significant distance like to the next town.

[_dark_matter_]

The parent comment was reading from a different line: `I made lists of questions for my doctors and insisted they give me their personal phone numbers.`

[naner]

That is a pretty big leap from just a single statement.

I've noticed the same problem and I'm not in the medical profession. Many people don't have good judgement when given direct 24/7 phone access.