Wait times in ERs are often extremely high, partly because so many people use the emergency room as their regular doctor’s office. At New York-Presbyterian hospital in Manhattan, at least 30 percent of ER visitors are there for nonurgent medical issues, like a rash or cold. For those less serious cases, the hospital is offering patients a chance to see a doctor via telescreen. It’s an effort to reduce wait times and save money.  

Facebook is asking its users what news sources they consider trustworthy. They’re asking two questions: Do you know this website, and how much do you trust it? On Marketplace Tech, our the two questions are: Will that yield useful information, and isn’t the crowd part of the problem? Molly Wood talks about it with Sarah Frier, a tech reporter for Bloomberg.

People have been posting increasingly controversial videos to YouTube. YouTube star Logan Paul posted a video showing the body of a suicide victim. Other videos show teenagers eating detergent-filled Tide Pods. In the wake of these incidents, YouTube has changed the way it shares revenue with creators. But does the money involved with YouTube just provide incentive for crazier stunts? Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talks with Sarah Roberts, a professor of information science at UCLA. 

Amazon just opened its first automated convenience store with no lines and no checkouts. The company uses computer vision and sensors to monitor what people are taking. But in order to avoid the lines, people are giving up their ability to shop without constantly being monitored. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talks about it with Joe Turow, the author of the book “The Aisles Have Eyes.” 

This government shutdown was only three days long, but the budget impasse is not over. Agencies that are reliant on the government for funding are still left wondering how much money they have to spend — and when it’ll be available. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talks about the loss to innovation with Nicol Turner-Lee, a fellow at the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution.  

There are LOTS of cryptocurrencies. Yes, bitcoin, but also: Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin, IOTA, Dash, TRON and Bitcoin Cash. What’s a new investor to do? Read Reddit threads, of course. And starting this week, there are now official financial ratings of the coins, as well. Weiss Ratings is going to assign letter ratings to cryptocurrencies, though, because of their volatile nature, the grades could change daily. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talks with Martin Weiss, who’s behind the ratings. 

There are lots of startups as well as established tech companies, like Apple and Google, that are interested in measuring our waists and monitoring our blood pressure. But as the Food and Drug Administration loosens regulations in the digital health space, who’s looking out for the consumers? On our segment Quality Assurance — a second look at the week’s tech news — Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talks about the regulation of health tech with CNBC’s Christina Farr.

Two major Apple investors are asking the company to make sure its devices aren’t harming kids. They want Apple to do more research into smartphone addiction. Could exploring this somehow be good business for Apple? Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talks with Megan Moreno, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin.  

What does Martin Luther have to do with Facebook? According to one historian, they both prove that networks have great power and can do a lot of harm. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talks with Niall Ferguson, whose new book is called “The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook.”