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For people in
northern
Minnesota with a
medical
condition, being
asked to attend
a follow-up
visit with a
specialist was
simply a polite
way of saying
"please get in
your car and
drive several
hours for a
routine
ten-minute
consultation."
It also meant
missing a day's
work, burning an
extra tank of
gas, and at
times traveling
in inclement
weather.
Until now.
Today at
LifeCare Medical
Center, it is
possible for
patients to
communicate
directly with a
specialist
located hundreds
of miles away
through a video
conferencing
service known as
telemedicine.
This convenient
new service
allows LifeCare
medical
professionals
and patients to
see and hear an
off-site
specialist in
real time,
meaning no lag
in
communication.
"It's like
having them in
the same room
with you.
There's no need
to relay the
information
through two or
three people. If
one person has a
question, the
answer is right
there," says
Stacey Monkman,
RN, Outpatient
Manager at
LifeCare.
Monkman was
instrumental in
bringing
telemedicine
online at
LifeCare. Her
work included
in-service
training and
meeting with
other
organizations
already using
this new
technology.
"Set aside the
logistics, and
it's a very
simple idea,"
she says.
"People stand in
two rooms
hundreds of
miles apart and
basically talk
to each other
face to face."
While the
long-term goal
is to offer
telehealth to
many LifeCare
patients, it's
first efforts
include only
Wound Care
patients and a
wound care
specialist at
Altru Health
System in Grand
Forks.
Using a small
digital video
camera in
Roseau, a
physician in
Grand Forks can
study the
healing of a
patientıs wound
by viewing the
images displayed
on a large color
monitor.
LifeCare's first
telemedicine
patient, Danny
Stoe of Roseau,
welcomed the
idea.
Rather than head
to Grand Forks
for his
September
appointment, he
simply walked in
the door at
LifeCare in
Roseau.
"It was great. I
didn't have to
make the drive
or take the day
off from work,"
says Stoe, who
requires regular
follow-up visits
to monitor a
diabetic ulcer
on his leg.
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Stoe plans to
continue using
the video
conferencing
option for
future visits,
and likely will
even be
discharged via
telemedicine.
"What a
convenience for
our patients,'
says LifeCare's
Telehealth
Coordinator
Sharon Brett,
RN. "I really
think rural
healthcare is
moving in this
direction more
and more."
A 13-year
employee of
LifeCare, she is
responsible for
running the
video and audio
equipment during
each
appointment.
For now she is
assisted by
LifeCare's
Director of
Information
Systems, Kevin
Schumacher, in
the event any
technical issues
arise with the
DS3 line that
links to Altru's
Wound Clinic in
Grand Forks.
Waiting there
for Stoe's
appointment was
Nurse
Practitioner Dan
Rustvang under
the guidance of
Rolf Paulson,
MD, head of the
Wound Clinic.
It is estimated
that 95% of
patients they
will see have
chronic wounds,
many of them
connected to
diabetes.
"To be eligible
for this
service, a
patient must
first be seen in
Grand Forks, but
they can use
telemedicine for
many or all of
their return
visits," Brett
says.
LifeCare's leap
into the world
of telemedicine
began with a
grant providing
funds for the
programıs
development.
Tri-County
Hospital in
Wadena,
Minnesota, was
used as a model
for the project.
Senior Leader
Sue Lisell and
Roxanne Fabian,
R.N., Director
of Nursing,
played a major
role in bringing
telemedicine to
LifeCare.
Lisell hopes to
someday have a
broad program in
telemedicine
with direct
links to other
specialists.
"Eventually we
may be able to
use this
technology to
assist patients
in the areas of
endocrinology,
dermatology,
orthopedics, and
more," Lisell
says. "The
possibilities
for the program
are endless."
Talk to
your primary
care physician
if you think you
are a candidate
for LifeCareıs
new telehealth
service, or if
you are being
seen by the
Wound Clinic at
Altru Health
System in Grand
Forks.
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