Want to email your doctor? You may be charged for that

By AMANDA SEITZ
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The next time you message your doctor to ask about a pesky cough or an itchy rash, you may want to check your bank account first — you could get a bill for the question. Hospital systems around the country are rolling out fees for some messages patients send to physicians, who they say are spending an increasing amount of time poring over online queries, some so complex that they require the level of medical expertise normally dispensed during an office visit. Major hospital systems in Illinois, Ohio and California are among those that have rolled out the charges over the last year.