New Technology For Rural Patients: 'Potential Here Is Fabulous'
FRISCO, Colo. (CBS4) - Treating people who suffer a concussion can be tricky. It used to require a special trip to a Front Range specialist for many rural community residents, but that is changing and it's already making a huge difference in mountain towns.
What used to require a ride in an ambulance usually to a Front Range hospital now can happen inside doctors' offices in rural Colorado thanks to new technology.
Kendra Fuller is months into her recovery. She suffered a concussion while snowboarding. Now she is taking advantage of a teleconcussion program offered at the St. Anthony Summit Medical Center in Frisco.
"The potential here is fabulous,"
From his office on the Front Range, Dr. Rocky Khosla with Rocky Mountain Sports and Family Medicine is able to see patients in rural communities without them having to make the long drive to his office.
"You're across hundreds of miles … but as long as you can make eye contact … and this medium … so you can see what's going and on potential is fabulous," Khosla said.
Patients in Grand, Lake, Rio Grande and Summit counties are able to use the service now. It helps local doctors who might now be as familiar with how to treat concussions.
"Study after study says that pediatricians, family physicians, and trauma medicine docs feel uncomfortable a lot of times managing concussion and depending on when you're educated, when you had the last update, you could be completely wrong," Khosla said.
They hope the service expands allowing more patients in rural Colorado to see more doctors across the state.
Additional Resources
Learn more at centura.org/Centura-Health
