Treating sick kids has become easier

Telemedicine program lets nurses connect ill students with health providers

Michael Patrick
Patricia Hess, a nurse, is working at Seymour Middle School under an agreement between Sevier County Schools and Cherokee Health Systems to provide medical services to students. The telemedicine program is linked via two-way camera to a physician’s assistant in Knoxville for instant evaluation of the patient.

As the Seymour Middle School student sat in front of the large monitor, his image appeared on the screen.

Using special equipment, the school nurse checked the seventh-grader's ears and throat while a two-way camera simultaneously transmitted real-time video 15 miles away to the medical offices of Cherokee Health System in Knoxville.

"The student has been seen. He is able to stay in school, and the parent doesn't have to leave work," said Olga Eisenhower, one of two Cherokee Health nurse practitioners hired in August for a new telemedicine program launched this month in partnership with Sevier County schools.

Available in 17 Sevier County elementary and middle schools serving approximately 9,700 students, the Internet-based program provides on-site medical services using state-of-the-art technology to connect sick students with a medical provider who can examine, diagnose, treat and monitor them.

Lab testing for strep throat and influenza will also soon be available at each school.

It's a project that school officials hope will promote healthier and happier students and ultimately improve attendance and graduation rates.

"If we can take care of a child's basic well-being, then we can not only maintain academic excellence but improve upon it," said Don Best, coordinator of school health.

Best and Director of Schools Jack Parton turned to Cherokee Health, a safety-net provider serving mostly low-income residents and the uninsured with a decade of experience in telepsychiatry. Cherokee Health is also in the process of piloting a telepharmacy program.

It uses teleconferencing equipment and high-speed telephone lines to allow the clinician and patient to see and speak to each other as if they were in the same room.

The latest project, estimated at $1 million, is an investment in equipment and staff, with Sevier County schools and Cherokee Health splitting the cost. They expect to recover some expenses through private insurance claims and grants.

"It's about access to care. This project knocks down some of those financial, transportation and time barriers," said Joel Hornberger, Cherokee Health chief operating officer.

More than 50 percent of the students in Sevier County schools are on free and reduced lunch, and many parents work in the service industry. That means every hour away from work is an hour of not getting paid, Best said.

Schools such as Caten's Chapel, Wearwood and Pittman Center elementary schools aren't located in close proximity to health care providers which also makes access to care difficult. And some parents, he added, don't always follow the recommendation of the school nurse.

"We are not trying to take patients away from primary care physicians. We are trying to complement and be an adjunct to them," Eisenhower said.

Of those students who will visit the school nurse, Best said he expects about 20-25 percent will require telemedicine. Parents must sign a registration form in order for their child to take advantage of the program.

Standard deductibles apply. Those without health insurance pay $5 as well as a minimal charge for any lab services that may be required.

"I think it's groundbreaking," Best said. "I was very surprised with what you could do with telemedicine."

Business writer Carly Harrington may be reached at 865-342-6317.

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