Dermatology telemedicine clinic available in the Fox Valley

Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Clinics-Fox Valley in Neenah, Wis., has launched a dermatology telemedicine service. The clinic offers consultations on unusual skin eruptions or lesions such as birthmarks, vascular anomalies, hemangiomas, atopic dermatitis and drug eruptions.

In the telemedicine clinic, physicians use videoconferencing technology and synchronize handoffs with attending staff to provide care from a remote location. First, a nurse trained in telemedicine and dermatology greets the patient and completes a physical and historical assessment of the patient at the Neenah clinic. Then the dermatologist, who is located at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, joins the group via videoconference. The child is examined, information is exchanged and questions are asked and answered. Still images of the epidermis are captured by the nurse and transferred to the physician for closer inspection. Finally, a diagnosis and treatment options are discussed with the patient and family.

Some dermatology conditions cannot be assessed through telemedicine and will require an in-person examination, including:

• Bleeding lesions.
• Warts/molluscum.
• Deep lesions that require palpation as a part of the exam.
• Moles.

Telemedicine helps make specialized care available to families closer to their homes, which means patient families have less travel and time away from work. This method of delivering care also reduces wait times between appointments and improves continuity of care.

The use of telemedicine is well documented in radiology, cardiology, psychiatry and dermatology. It is used across the nation and the world to bring specialty care to communities that may not otherwise have these resources. Children's Specialty Group and Children's Hospital also are piloting this method of delivering care in other specialty clinics in Neenah and Kenosha.

To schedule an appointment for a dermatology telemedicine consultation at the Fox Valley clinic, call (920) 969-7970.