Hello again! This time, not from Stockholm.

We made it back over the pond only a little the worse for wear, considering that we went 27 hours without sleeping (well, at least I did), subsisted on bad food, shuffled through two of the busiest airports in the world, went through security countless times, and spent some 14 hours on a stuffy crowded airplane in the cramped confines of Steerage class. Ah, the indignities of air travel these days! There is absolutely nothing fun or glamourous about it, unless you are one of the really lucky bastards flying Business.

Anyway, I've been fighting a horrible sinus headache for a week now, the intensity worsening by the day. Having exhausted all of the non-drug methods available to me, this morning I decided I couldn’t take it any longer and decided to look for some urgent care options nearby.

A Google search led me to ZoomCare, which I also remember hearing about from radio host Thom Hartmann some time ago. Billed as Healthcare on Demand, it certainly sounded like the immediate solution I was seeking to my ever-worsening problem and I was getting increasingly desperate for some physical normalcy.

So, at 10am this morning, I visited their web site and found that they have an office in Bridgeport Village, just above the Container Store and minutes from my office. I submitted an appointment request for 10:45. Within five minutes I received a call on my cell phone from a very nice woman at ZoomCare who informed me that 10:45 was not available, but they could see me at 11:30. Would that work? “Yes”, I enthusiastically replied, and hung up the phone with a smile. I was going to get some relief soon.

I showed up about 10 minutes early and even though I was a new patient, I didn’t need to fill out reams of paperwork. Just a quick copy of my drivers license and insurance card. Less than 5 minutes later, Dr. Norcom came out to the lobby, greeted me, and led me back to a little room. Wait —- where was the nurse with the blood pressure thingy, tongue depressor, and the 20 minute wait inside the freezing cold exam room with the crappy magazines?

After a few targeted questions about my symptoms and history, Dr. Norcom agreed that it was probably sinusitis and proceeded to prescribe an antibiotic and some Sudafed for me. I saw exactly how much he was prescribing and how much it would cost, because he used a large flat screen monitor to show me everything that was happening. About five minutes later, I was back out in the lobby again paying my co-pays for the prescriptions. That’s right – no driving over to Walgreens and waiting 30 minutes – you get the medication you need, right there at the doctors office!

Now one would think that this fantastic convenient service comes with a hefty price tag, but the office visit was 100% covered under my insurance. And, if I was one of the many Americans who don't have insurance, it would have cost $120 - definitely cheaper than the emergency room and on par, cost-wise, with other "urgent" care clinics I've visited. The main difference being, you didn't have to wait upwards of 45 minutes to be seen - you simply make your same day appointment and show up at your reserved time.

I've been pretty depressed about the state of our healthcare system lately - blame on a recent viewing of Sicko and my recent return from countries where the social safety nets ensure that nobody goes without basic healthcare. But ZoomCare gives me hope, I only wish there were more innovations like this in a system that is badly broken.