The next time you twist an ankle or discover a strange rash, try using ZocDoc. It's an online service that makes the process of finding a doctor and scheduling an appointment much less painful.
ZocDoc asks you for a few simple bits of information: Your zip code, your insurance provider, and the kind of doctor you want to see. Then it gives you a list of local doctors, with pictures, patient ratings, and available appointment times. Click on a time and you're set. The whole experience is sort of like making an appointment at the Apple store (i.e. well-designed and easy).
For now, ZocDoc only works in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. But it just closed a new, $15 million-dollar round of funding, and it's planning to expand. Look for more positive changes like this as our health care system continues to lumber into the information age.