Yes to Skype!

Two weeks ago, one of my partners suggested we start using Skype at the office for our long-distance calls. Gold star to you, doctor!

Skype is one of several VoIP services that let you place phone calls over the internet. You need a USB headset/microphone connected to your computer and a Skype account. You can call from your computer to another computer for free. If you want to call from your computer to a telephone (handy!), you have to pay. Well, if you call $30 a year, "paying"! (Unlimited calls within North America.)

We spend many thousands of dollars a year on long-distance calls, as many of our patients and referring physicians live outside urban Saskatoon. If Skype works for us, we'll be saving plenty.

I've been using it for the last week and it has been very good. There are the occasional calls with poor quality, but almost all the calls are crystal clear. I've also occasionally found that the system doesn't always let both people talk at once and there are sometimes voice delays. These are the exception, however.

Also, I can use Skype wherever I have my laptop and a wireless network. I can make long-distance calls at the hospital (or from home) without having to bill the office calling card.

I'm going to continue the trial for a few more weeks, but so far, Skype gets high marks.