Telemedicine May Offer New Opportunities to Reach Kids in the Community—and Even in School

It’s hard on everyone—teachers, parents, and certainly children—when a student feels ill in the middle of the school day. And if the school nurse thinks the patient needs more care than she provide, Mom or Dad has to leave work and get their offspring in to see the pediatrician ASAP. Children in the Salamanca City Central School District in New York don’t even need to leave the campus to be seen by a physician or advanced-practice practitioner these days, however, thanks to a new initiative that offers immediate remote access to physical and mental health services during school hours. As explained in an article in The Salamanca Press, school nurses’ offices are equipped with devices with video-conferencing and diagnostic capabilities that connect them with urgent care providers in nearby Buffalo and Western New York. Exam rooms are completely private, and parents have to opt-in if they want their children to be eligible for the program. While parents may still need to bring their children home, depending on the exam findings, being able to do so without a last-minute dash to the pediatrician’s office saves time and stress (as well as a copay that’s likely to be higher than the virtual visit). And some may even be told they can return to class. As you’ve read here and in the pages of JUCM, telehealth continues to be somewhat controversial in urgent care; some operators are succeeding both financially and in terms of expanding their patient population while others don’t see the upside at all. As time goes on, though, it appears that patients and employers like the idea.