Telemedicine Doctor Visits
by Anne Kelly KFYR TV
Posted on 4/16/2009
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City dwellers have a short ride to the hospital. For those who live out in the country, it`s not so easy. Some live hours away from their doctors, making a follow-up visit a day-long event.
For those who don’t have the time or the patience to drive to Bismarck, there`s another option St. Alexius offers to connect them with their doctors.
It’s another day at the office for certified diabetes educator Cindy Renner. Today she’s helping a patient understand why her blood sugar levels are fluctuating so much. But unlike most of her appointments that involve a handshake, this one involves a lot of high tech equipment.
It connects Renner with 11-year-old Solveig Hanson an hour and a half away in Minot. She has to have check-up appointments for her diabetes every three months and says meeting via telemedicine is just as effective for her.
“It`s easier, you don`t have to sit in the car and just sit there for a long time,” says Hanson. “You get here, you get your short appointment, you don`t have to miss out on a whole entire day of school.”
“Diabetes follow up appointments really lend themselves to this type of visit because most of the time when we’re seeing somebody in recheck we’re reviewing lab results or their home blood glucose lab results,” says Renner.
She adds that talking to patients by camera is different, but it works, and allows her to meet with patients in 44 hospitals in North and South Dakota all in a matter of days. There are a few drawbacks. She can`t look at rashes, scrapes, cuts or bruises, but that`s why telemedicine is reserved for follow up appointments.
“Our specialists and providers here do not like to diagnose over telemedicine,” says Lisa Vetter, the Telemedicine Coordinator at St. Alexius. “So this is strictly for follow-up, consultation.”
St.Alexius has used the system for everything from plastic surgery to neurology follow-ups. And with the old and young. It`s a system Solveig and many other patients who live a distance from Bismarck, say makes the most sense for them.
It doesn`t cost anything extra for a patient to meet with a doctors over the telemedicine system. St. Alexius says it also uses it for support group meetings.