Virtual doctor visits

I can't keep up with technology. Good thing I have two adult sons and one teenager who can help me with my new things (did you know you can use your thumbprint to access your iphone instead of trying to type in a 4 digit code every time?! Thanks to daughter Kitty for showing me that and setting up my phone. I LOVE IT!!!!)

Did you also know that in some states, if your child has Medicaid, they can see a doctor virtually from school? You don't have to leave work and your child doesn't have to leave school. I just read an article about a school district in Texas. Here's how they explain the program:

"They say adults shouldn’t have to take time off work and kids shouldn’t have to miss school to get routine health care, like when a child has an ear infection or skin rash, because modern technology allows a remote doctor to get high-quality, instantaneous information about patients. An electronic stethoscope allows the doctor to hear a child’s heartbeat, for example, and a digital otoscope offers a look into the child’s ear — all under the physical supervision of a school nurse."

I have never heard of an electronic (or digital) stethoscope until a few months ago. The Washington Post has a great article that explains how they work. Can you image the nurse using the stethoscope to on your child's lungs at school while the doctor listens from his office miles away? They can do the same thing with an otoscope to look in the ear. Welcome to modern technology!

If there's a problem, the doctor can call in a prescription and you can pick it up on your way home from work. Wow!

This would be really helpful for parents who can't leave work (because they don't have sick time). If they have to leave work and take their child to the doctor, they don't get paid. And the child misses school.

Here's how one doctor explains it. 

“Ninety percent of what you would see in a general pediatric clinic, we can handle it by telemedicine,” said Richard Lampe, chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at the Texas Tech University Health Science Center. He said that included sports injuries, strep throat — and among middle and high school students especially, mental illnesses like anxiety and depression."  

This may not work for everyone, but I think it's a good idea for some families. 

What will they think of next?!