Lights, camera, action in Varnville – Bluffton Today

It was lights, camera, action! in Varnville last week when a production crew from South Carolina Educational Television (SCETV) came to town to videotape a segment on a new telehealth service being offered at Beaufort Memorial Harrison Peeples Health Care Center.

The pilot program offers patients with heart issues the opportunity to have a virtual visit with Beaufort Memorial Hospital (BMH) cardiologist Dr. Stuart Smalheiser, saving them a trip to the coast. Smalheiser, who sees patients at the clinic a few Wednesdays a month, offers follow-up appointments via telemedicine technology on the Wednesdays hes not in Varnville.

Its a great way to manage urgent needs and expedite care as a bridge to the next office visit, said Smalheiser, who is board certified in general, nuclear and interventional cardiology. Eventually, we want to provide telemedicine access every day of the week.

A cart equipped with an adjustable video camera and oversized computer screen allows Dr. Smalheiser to talk with a patient face-to-face. With the help of certified medical assistant Crystal Tripp, who works with the patient on site, as well as special peripheral tools on the cart, Smalheiser can examine the patient remotely.

Part of the South Carolina Telehealth Alliance, SCETV has created more than 90 videos featuring elements of telehealth being used in the Palmetto State.

The videos tell the stories of patients who have experienced telehealth, said Tabitha Safdi, SCETV digital media manager and producer. Many of them live in rural or underserved areas of the state that have limited access to health care.

Taking top billing in the Varnville video is Andrea Robinson, one of the first patients to use Harrison Peeples new telemedicine service. The crew taped a visit with his primary care provider, board-certified family medicine specialist Dr. Brad Kelly, as well as a telemedicine consult with Dr. Smalheiser. They also interviewed the two physicians, as well as Robinson and his wife Sharome, about their experiences with the technology.

Its really nice for our patients to be able to see specialists without having to go all the way to Beaufort, Kelly said. And its nice for our specialists to see our patients in Varnville without having to come all the way out here and disrupt their schedule. I would love to see more of it.

For the Robinsons, the telemedicine option has been a godsend.

A resident of Hampton for 30-plus years, Robinson became concerned about his health when he began experiencing shortness of breath two years ago. Suspecting it was heart-related, Kelly referred him to Smalheiser in Beaufort.

After undergoing several tests, Robinson was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, a problem related to the heart muscle weakening, causing it to pump inefficiently. Symptoms can include shortness of breath and edema. Until his condition was stabilized, Robinson had to make trips to Beaufort several weeks running.

They didnt want me driving, so my wife would have to take off from work every time I had an appointment with the cardiologist, Robinson said. It was very inconvenient.

Today, he sees Smalheiser every three to four months, sometimes via video.

I dont mind the telehealth appointments at all, Robinson said. I can see Dr. Smalheisers face and he can see mine. The cart has a stethoscope so he can hear my lungs and heart. Its been a big help not having to ask my wife to take me to Beaufort.

In addition to shooting footage at the clinic, the production crew taped the Robinsons at their home and his favorite fishing spot at Lake Warren. The six- to seven-minute video will be posted in October on SCETVs website, http://www.scetv.org/telehealth, and YouTube.

Beaufort Memorial began using telehealth technology several years when it joined the Medical University of South Carolina Healths Telestroke program, which provides BMH emergency room and ICU doctors with instant access to stroke experts from the Charleston hospital 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The partnership was later expanded to include pediatric specialists.

In 2017, the hospital tapped the technology to create BMH Care Anywhere, an online service allowing patients to see a board-certified practitioner anytime, anywhere, using their smart phone, tablet or computer.

Earlier this year, BMH began offering telehealth appointments with Sea Island Psychiatry providers. In July, it added cardiology to its telemedicine services.

In the next few months, well be expanding telehealth to include vascular care, said Jon Lohr, Beaufort Memorial technical analyst for digital health services. Were looking to add other specialties as well. With the growing physician shortage, its where health care is going.

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Lights, camera, action in Varnville - Bluffton Today