Pediatric Telemedicine
Bridging the distance in children's health care
What is telemedicine?
When distance separates your child from the doctor, technology can bring them together. At the UW Pediatric Specialty Clinic located at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, "telemedicine" is a video conference allowing face-to-face meetings between a patient and a pediatric specialist at American Family Children's Hospital in Madison. This meeting includes the family, a specially trained nurse and sometimes your child's primary care doctor.
Why use telemedicine?
With telemedicine, getting the best possible care for your child means not having to travel long distances to see a specialist. Your child's consultation can take place right at the UW Pediatric Specialty Clinic in Appleton.
For you and your child, this means:
- less time away from home
- less time away from work and school
- fewer travel expenses (gasoline, meals or overnight stays)
- medical care at a place that is comfortable and familiar
- locally performed tests and lab work
- an opportunity for your child's primary care doctor to be included in the consultation
How does it work?
A registered nurse runs the telemedicine equipment, which includes a video camera and monitor in the exam room. You will be able to see, hear and talk to the pediatric specialist in Madison, and the doctor will see, hear and talk to you, your child and the nurse. Video conversations are secure and confidential, using high-speed data and phone lines.
Using special exam tools - a fiber optic otoscope, digital stethoscope and a handheld camera - the nurse can look inside your child's mouth and ears, listen to the heart and lungs, and examine any part of the body. Everything the nurse sees, the doctor will also see via the video monitor. A special video printer allows us to take pictures during the exam, if necessary, to be part of your child's medical record.
What should I tell my child?
At the UW Pediatric Specialty Clinic, we use telemedicine technology only after you, your child and the doctor have met in person and agreed that these video meetings are a good option. Children are usually not intimidated by this technology, because most have seen examples of it on television or even experienced it in school or day care. Most of our young patients are very interested and excited about being on television and being able to visit with their doctor.
We encourage you to talk to your child before the appointment to make sure he or she understands that this visit will be different. You can make arrangements to see the telemedicine equipment before the actual appointment. Call (920) 730-2650.
What kind of records are kept?
Detailed notes from your telemedicine visit are dictated and placed in your child's medical record. This includes any photos taken during the exam. In addition, a report is sent to your child's primary doctor. If further tests or lab work are needed, they will be scheduled locally just like a routine clinic visit.
Confidentiality and privacy
UW Pediatric Specialty Clinic professionals have a moral and legal obligation to respect the confidentiality of patients, employees and co-workers. Details of your child's condition and treatment may not be disclosed at any time except to those entitled to receive the information. Your child's medical record will not be shown or released to anyone not connected to the UW Pediatric Specialty Clinic without your written permission. Telemedicine uses a secure phone line to transmit video images and audio between Appleton and Madison.
Will insurance cover a telemedicine visit?
Network Health Plan and most other insurance plans do provide coverage for telemedicine visits. Check with your insurance plan before your appointment.
Partnership
The UW Pediatric Specialty Clinic at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton offers comprehensive pediatric care and cutting-edge technology in one location.
Affinity Health System pediatricians (the region's leading and largest pediatric medical group) partners with American Family Children's Hospital's world-class pediatric specialists. Together, they have created a clinic where pediatricians and specialists can work together to care for infants, children and adolescents.
In addition to telemedicine options, UW Health pediatric specialists from Madison also travel to Appleton to see patients in person. Their specialties include pediatric allergy and asthma, cardiology, endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism, gastroenterology, general surgery, genetics, hematology and oncology, plastic and reconstructive surgery, pulmonology, ophthalmology, orthopedics and urology.
