Essentia Health-Fosston expands specialty care through teleconsult visits

(Valley News Live) -Essentia Health-Fosston has been expanding specialty services and teleconsult visits.

Since April, the healthcare organization has been offering rural patients access to specialists including behavioral health, diabetes education, cardiology, oncology, infectious disease, podiatry, sleep medicine, nephrology, urology, and orthopedics.

Teleconsult appointments are live video visits from an exam room at the Essentia Health-Fosston Clinic. A registered nurse is in the room with the patient to document concerns and check vital signs before a clinician joins the visit on secure video.

How the hybrid model works

According to Essentia, its hybrid model supplements in-person care. Surgery patients, for example, may complete pre- and post-operative appointments through teleconsult visits while the surgeon travels to Fosston to perform the procedure.

“We’re really excited about these additional local care offerings,” said Mike Curtis, administrator at Essentia Health-Fosston. “These appointments are very similar to regular appointments. The big difference now is that patients can easily connect with a specialist right at their local Essentia clinic.”

Weekend walk-in care

Teleconsult visits have also allowed the Fosston clinic to extend weekend walk-in care hours. Walk-in care is available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

Rural workforce context

According to the National Rural Health Association, more than half of rural physicians nationally are age 50 or older, with a projected 23% decline in rural doctors by 2030 due to retirements.

“These workforce realities demand creative solutions,” Curtis said. “As more specialists concentrate in big cities, teleconsult visits are essential to preserving access for people in communities just like Fosston. The challenges facing healthcare demand that Essentia — like every other system — maximize its resources. The low volume of patients needing many of these specialty services locally might not justify a full-time practice here in Fosston, but we are committed to providing reliable local access whenever we can do so in a way that is safe and sustainable.”

Dr. Prasad Sawardeker, an orthopedic surgeon at Essentia, said the model has produced positive patient response.

“I love being able to connect with my patients before and after surgery while keeping them close to home,” Sawardeker said. “By combining virtual consultations with high-quality local care, we’re expanding access to specialty services without sacrificing the personal connection patients deserve. It’s been rewarding to see how positively patients have responded, and we’ll continue using their feedback to make the experience even better.”