Telemedicine Could Be The Answer To Proper Care For Diabetes

KYW's Medical Reports Sponsored By Independence Blue Cross

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- As a family physician, one of the most common issues I deal with is my patients' struggles with diabetes, and since primary care is a specialty where I follow patients in the long term, I am worried about preventing long term issues.

This is why it is important to follow blood sugars, check for nerve issues like sensation in the feet,
and make certain diabetes is not damaging the kidneys.

Another big issue with diabetics is damage to the eyes, and the need to look into the eyes and see if
small blood vessels in the eyes are being damaged.

We often send our patients to Ophthalmologists for these exams but, in some parts of the country,
there are not enough Ophthalmologists.

According to a report in Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine, virtual
exams by Ophthalmologists using telemedicine dramatically improved access to care and
diagnoses.

Physician offices used certified medical assistants to take photographs and electronically transmit
them to a reading center.