Momentum - Winter 2012

Telemedicine reaches out

by Stephanie Watson

Michele Wilson, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1991, had such severe numbness, tingling and pain in her left leg that the 47-year-old spent most nights tossing and turning. “Sometimes I’d only get an hour or two of sleep,” she says.

Her neurologist, Paul Hoffman, MD, examined her, testing for ankle clonus (repetitive muscle contractions), watching as she walked and checking her leg for numbness. He recommended pain relievers and physical therapy, which Wilson says have helped tremendously.

But what sounds like a standard office visit was anything but typical. Wilson was at her primary-care doctor’s office in Beverly Hills, Fla., while Dr. Hoffman communicated via monitor and camera from Gainesville, Fla., more than 50 miles away. The virtual visit saved Wilson a long and uncomfortable drive. “When I’m sitting for that long, when I get out, I can barely walk,” she says. “My legs are so stiff.” She’s happy not to travel if she doesn’t have to—and telemedicine offers an alternative.

An advancing field

Treating patients remotely via videoconferencing and other electronic technology is at the heart of a growing field known as telemedicine. While it’s been around since the 1950s, recent technological advancements have made it more affordable and accessible. One study, published in April 2012 in Multiple Sclerosis Journal, found that the ease and convenience of telemedicine reduced medical costs and increased patient satisfaction.

Telemedicine’s major
advantage is that it can allow
people with MS to better access
top-quality care. “There are
a lot of issues for people with
MS being able to get to the
right doctors, particularly in
rural areas,” says Lisa Skutnik,
executive vice president of
Clinical Programs at the
National MS Society. Travel
costs, lack of transportation
and insurance that doesn’t fully
cover out-of-area care all can
affect access. “Consequently,
some people with MS may only