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Central Minnesota clinics adopt telemedicine services [St. Cloud Times, Minn.](St. Cloud Times (MN) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 10--Going to the doctor's office for diagnosis of a minor ailment may soon become a thing of the past. Joining similar services provided by the St. Cloud VA Health Care System and HealthPartners, CentraCare Health recently unveiled its eClinic telemedicine service that helps diagnose and treat patients via the Internet. Doctors are legally allowed to prescribe medications through the Internet. "Health care is looking for ways to go digital," said Vamsi Dwaram, the director of telehealth services at CentraCare. "If anything, the medical industry is behind the curve in the convenience aspect." Providers stress that telehealth services aren't supposed to be used in emergency cases. On its website, CentraCare lists the conditions it will treat via the Internet. If the eClinic service isn't able to treat a patient, CentraCare refunds the patient's money and recommends the patient see a provider in person. "It's meant for patient convenience while still having an emphasis on proper medicine," said Dr. Darin Willardsen, a CentraCare eClinic provider. "There are carefully created protocols in the system that help decipher a patient's symptoms to safely treat online." Among the things CentraCare will treat with its eClinic include the flu, colds, allergies and pink eye. VA leads the way According to American Telemedicine Association research, the telemedicine industry has expanded by 24 percent nationally since 2012. "Telehealth made significant strides in last few years although it's still not available to the entire health care system," said Mark Schoenbaum of the Minnesota Department of Health. "Technology changes every day. It's hard to predict what the future holds but there's a lot of potential." St. Cloud VA telehealth coordinator Joann Houge said their program features 15,000 visits annually. "We are always looking at ways we can save money and time for our patients while still maintaining a high quality of care," Houge said. "It's a growing program. We try to find ways for our patients to not have to travel to get quality care." Similar to the newly launched eClinic, VA hospitals and clinics use a program called My HealtheVet. It links patients with providers virtually and distributes a diagnosis through email. "It's efficient, that's why it's a trend," said St. Cloud VA Public Affairs Officer Barry Venable. "And it's effective." The St. Cloud VA also uses a Skype-like program for patients to see specialists in other cities. Reducing travel Patients at the St. Cloud VA are regularly treated via video by specialists at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, speeding up a process that normally takes months to secure an appointment. Thanks to new technology, doctors at the St. Cloud VA often treat patients at outpatient clinics in Alexandria, Brainerd and Montevideo. The doctors in St. Cloud are able to use a virtual stethoscope with the help of an administering nurse. "Veterans love it," Houge said. "It helps patients get seen faster without having the hassle of traveling." Houge also noted that the VA telemedicine services have limited weather-related appointment cancellations -- an important topic come winter. Patients can be treated at home with the Skype-like system. The VA also uses hand-held cameras to track postsurgical wounds and online databases to track patients. "It's all things you can do from your own home," Houge said. "All you need is an Internet connection." Telehealth services has helped improve care in rural areas. "It can be literally life-saving for emergencies in rural Minnesota," Schoenbaum said. "Telehealth immediately connects them to specialists. It provides immediate access when life is at stake." Telehealth is also being used to track patients from their home. "We can monitor and identify early signs of trouble," Schoenbaum said. "These kinds of things save time and money, and they help keep people healthy and out of the hospital." It's the way medicine is moving. "It's still a new concept with medicine," Darin Willardsen, a CentraCare provider, said. "Who knows what the future holds. With Twitter and Google leading more into people's lives, they may find ways to utilize it that lends itself to medicine." Follow Jake Laxen on Twitter @jacoblaxen. ___ (c)2014 the St. Cloud Times (St. Cloud, Minn.) Visit the St. Cloud Times (St. Cloud, Minn.) at www.sctimes.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |