BOISE -- For years, if you lived in places like Baker City or Cascade, and you needed to see a specialist for a routine checkup, you'd have to drive about four hours round trip. And the actual visit would take about five minutes. But not anymore, thanks to advances in telemedicine and robotics.
Dusty Christensen runs an auto repair shop in Baker City, Oregon.
"Even though the shop can run without me, it's very inconvenient when I'm not here," said Christensen.
Christensen is recovering from a foot operation and recently went in for a routine checkup with his doctor in Boise.
But while his doctor is in Boise, Dusty can stay in Baker City for his checkup thanks to a 5-foot robot named RP-7.
"About a month ago, we scheduled an appointment," said Christensen. "Dr. Kemp explained, 'You know what? I'm gonna see you on the computer.' And I thought, 'We'll see how that works...' Very slick. Very convenient for me. I think it's pretty convenient for Dr. Kemp. I think it's great, I love it."
The face in the screen perched atop the robot belongs to Dr. Travis J. Kemp, who's at his office at St. Alphonsus in Boise.
"It basically allows me to care for patients, I think, in a better way for them, especially our remote patients from rural areas, such as Baker City," said Dr. Kemp. "The primary care out there is outstanding, but the specialty care is lacking. If it's a routine checkup, and there are no complications, it's perfect. I can do everything I could as if I were there."
From more than 100 miles away, Dr. Kemp can carry on a face-to-video-face conversation with his patient and control a high-definition camera. He can also drive the robot around the facility.
"I could bring it right out the door if I want," said Kemp.
"We can have a cardiologist in Boise listening to the patient's heart. Or a GI specialist listening to bell tones," said Kathie Pointer, the Physician Clinic manager in Baker City. "It's an untapped technology. I think there's a lot it can do that we really don't have an idea yet as to the full extent and use of this machine. So, it's fabulous."
This technology isn't just in Baker City and Boise. There's RP-7 units in 11 locations across western Idaho and eastern Oregon -- from Orofino to Caldwell to La Grande.
It's getting more popular too. Five months ago, Saint Alphonsus' Coughlin Clinic had its first telemedicine clinic. There was one patient. Last week, they saw six patients from across the area.
Not every insurance carrier covers telemedicine checkups. But St. Al's says they're working closely with those providers to help them realize, what they call, the value in them.
