Working Together: Gracewood Establishes Dermatology Clinic with MCG
In October 1998, James Potts, a registered nurse who was working as telemedicine coordinator at Gracewood State School and Hospital, informed the Medical College of Georgia Telemedicine Center’s Consult Office that Gracewood needed to cut down on patient transportation. He believed that a telemedicine dermatology clinic with MCG might help do that.
At the same time, Dr. Jack Lesher, Chief of the MCG Section of Dermatology, was considering organizing just such a clinic in Warrenton. Ann Brown in the MCG consult office "put two and two together" and, through the combined efforts of MCG and Mr. Potts and the Gracewood medical staff, a trial dermatology clinic between MCG and Gracewood was held Oct. 21, 1998.
The success of the trial clinic led to its establishment as a standing clinic in November and in the first five months of operation, a total of 21 patients were examined.
To further expedite patient care, Dr. Lesher traveled to Gracewood to conduct a live patient instruction session for Gracewood’s clinicians on skin biopsy techniques so biopsies also could be performed on site. "It is much better for their personnel to be able to do it there, " Dr. Lesher said. "Some things... can’t be diagnosed without biopsy."
In addition to the skin biopsy instruction, Dr. Lesher organized another informal teaching session on the examination of KOH fungal preps – which are used to identify the type of fungal infection – via the telemedicine microscope. This instruction rapidly resulted in the first diagnosis of a fungal infection during the clinic.
"Gracewood has been a fun and rewarding teledermatology clinic with very professional help from their end," Dr. Lesher said. He is starting to work with other Georgia Statewide Telemedicine Program sites to establish similar dermatology clinics so that more on-site dermatologic care can be delivered by primary care providers. A second dermatology clinic between MCG and Tri-County Health System, Inc. in Warrenton was established in February and 10 patients were seen in the first few months of operation.
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Medical College of Georgia Telemedicine Center