Kaitlin Sisk lives in Mohall, N.D., about four hours from Grand Forks, and still sees Dr. Eric Johnson regularly for her diabetes care.
“I started seeing him when I moved to Grand Forks for college,” explains Kaitlin. “I now only travel to Rugby, which is not quite two hours away, to meet with Dr. Johnson over telemedicine.”
Kaitlin was diagnosed with type one diabetes at 12 years old. “My blood sugar was over 600, and when I got to the ER, I was going in and out of consciousness.”
Now on an insulin pump, Kaitlin is a busy, young mom. Using Dr. Johnson’s telemedicine services, she was able to successfully manage her diabetes throughout pregnancy.
“During my pregnancy, I met with Dr. Johnson once a month. Telemedicine saved me a ton of miles and time and money—not to mention, uncomfortable hours in the car! Now, I ‘meet’ with him every three months.”
Kaitlin continues, “Dr. Johnson and my diabetes educator, Lisa Thorp, are always easy to get ahold of, and that makes managing changes much less stressful. I’m happy to say that I had a pregnancy with no complications and a healthy baby boy.”
Benefits of Telemedicine
Telemedicine uses technology to present live, interactive video and audio between patient and specialist separated by distance. As the Sisks and VanCamps can attest, benefits of telemedicine consults include:
- improved patient outcome and satisfaction,
- reduced costs and time away,
- expanding services and
- greater access to specialized care, especially in rural areas.
Learn more about the growing telemedicine program at Altru.
For more information on telemedicine, call 701.780.2348 or message your provider’s office through MyChart.
