Los Angeles Times

Instead of a hospital stay, he was given a cellphone with medical staff on speed dial

Some patients are getting a pre-programmed cellphone that allowed them to communicate with a medical team via audio or video call.

After dealing with a persistent cough and diarrhea and cycling through various over-the-counter medications, Lincoln Heights resident Javier Muniz finally went to urgent care at the L.A. County-USC Medical Center last month.

Physicians at the hospital, which has since been renamed the Los Angeles General Medical Center, realized that Muniz's medical history included living with HIV. The 46-year-old was diagnosed with giardiasis, an intestinal infection, and was hospitalized for four days while

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