Technology, at its best, removes borders and creates better access to information and services. Dr Lindsey Malloy Walton, Pediatric Electrophysiologist at Children’s Mercy, Kansas City, was educated at several prominent schools, guided by excellent mentors, and traveled the country to become a cardiology specialist. She is making a difference through developing and implementing telemedicine while staying true to her mission of providing quality care.
Telemedicine allows health care providers to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients at a distance, and is no different than a regular appointment other than they see Dr. Malloy Walton via a robot. “They come into the clinic, check in, and then they come into a telemedicine room where the robot is,” she said. “I usually have them up on my computer, so I listen to what the nurse is saying while looking up their information. Then I pop on and talk to them, get their history just like I would if they were here in person.” The exam is a little unique because the telemedicine facilitator is present to be the physician’s ears and hands. The facilitator will put the stethoscope in their ears and on the patient, and Dr. Malloy Walton is then able to hear the sounds from her computer. This approach is becoming an increasingly important part of our healthcare system because patients can get specialized care without having to travel out of town or out of state. “That’s why I love it. It’s convenient, it’s easy, and it’s excellent care,” Dr. Malloy Walton said. “Telemedicine appointments provide the same exact care that my patients would get if they came to Kansas City.” By relieving the cost and burden of travel, she believes that it removes at least one hurdle for families.
Dr. Malloy Walton started practicing telemedicine about two years ago and at first, she wasn’t sure how well it would be received. “It hasn’t always been perfect,” she said. “I think developing a flow and a routine with the telemedicine facilitator is the most important thing. They are an extension of me, so I must build trust with them and they must understand me and my work flow. I’ve taught each of them how to do the cardiac exam, so they know exactly what I would do.”
She has started seeing new patients via telemedicine, which is something she didn’t predict early on. The program has gotten so strong that there isn’t anyone she wouldn’t see through telemedicine. This has positively impacted her scheduling, and often results in seeing more patients on telemedicine days than on active clinic days at Children’s Mercy. “It is convenient for the patients and for me,” Malloy Walton explains. “I actually think at times it provides better care because I am so focused, organized, and it removes the chaos and the business of the clinic.”
Dr. Malloy Walton was introduced to Kansas City while going to Medical School and did her pediatric residency at Children’s Mercy. She got married in 2008 during her second year of residency, and then relocated to the University of Iowa for her cardiology residency. She attended Stanford for her electrophysiology fellowship, but for the last four years she has been back in Kansas City and she loves it. “I’m actually an East coaster, but it was a no brainer that this was the place I wanted to live and raise my family,” she said. She was a Division I college athlete in soccer but now lives vicariously through her 3-year-old daughter, who just started playing soccer and her 6-year-old son who plays baseball.
Along her professional journey she has been blessed with many strong mentors, not necessarily in medicine, often just neighbors or friends. This gave her strength to overcome negative feedback, which she says fueled her to continue to fight to become a doctor. “I tell everyone, my patients, family, co-workers, you can’t let discouragement deter you. If this is your passion and dream then let it fuel your fire and keep pushing,” she says.
Dr. Malloy Walton has held telemedicine clinics in Wichita, Joplin and Junction City to date, and utilizes the opportunity to provide the same care to a wider group of patients. She hopes more of her colleagues follow her path into telemedicine. “The feedback has been positive and I’m going to continue to work hard to provide great patient care,” she said. “I believe telemedicine is part of that.”