Megan Fry: A Telehealth App Helped Me Get the Urgent Care I Needed
Overnight, a mole in Megan’s neck turned black and blistered. She requested a virtual visit with Dr. Pierre-Louise, from Twin Cities Dermatology Center via the Miiskin App, and 72 hours later, the mole was extracted; it was basal cell carcinoma.
Megan Fry, now 33, has a family and personal history of skin cancer. When she was ten years old, her father had a skin biopsy, which turned out to be melanoma. Even though the doctor excised the lesion since the melanoma was invasive so he passed away shortly after.
“After seeing my dad go through his experience, I decided to take matters into my own hand and take care of myself. His story helped me to prioritize my health”
– said Megan Fry, from Minneapolis, MN
Megan has a lot of moles and freckles, so she visits a dermatologist regularly for preventative care. Most of her biopsies have been benign; however, this changed at some point.
“When I was in my twenties, my biopsy results came back positive for skin cancer, I’ve had two basal cell and one squamous cell excision within the last eight years.”
Megan’s dermatologist has already removed several cancer lesions from her skin, so she always applies sunscreen when she is outdoors to protect her skin.
After relocating to Minnesota, one day, Megan noticed that a mole on her neck looked blistered and turned black. She knew she needed to see a dermatologist quickly, but since she had recently moved, she hadn’t had the time to find one yet.
“I felt overwhelmed because I knew this lesion needed urgent attention.”
While doing an online search, she found Twin Cities Dermatology Center, a private dermatology practice in Minneapolis that allowed her to request urgent care by submitting photos of her mole through the Miiskin app.
“Medicine and technology have advanced so much that now everyone should have the opportunity to be seen by a physician with a short notice.”
Megan was told by some other local doctors that the waiting time for a consultation was three to four months.
When she called Dr. Pierre-Louise, she was also informed that there was a one-month waiting time for an in-person visit. However, if she needed urgent care, she could use the Miiskin app so the doctor could evaluate the condition and see if they could prioritize her for an in-person visit.
When Megan noticed the mole on Friday, and after she talked to Dr. Pierre-Louise, she downloaded the Miiskin app, took some photos of her mole, and shared them with Dr. Pierre-Louise from Twin Cities Dermatology Center.
After seeing the photo and learning about Megan’s personal and family history of skin cancer, Dr. Pierre-Louis called Megan for an in-person appointment on Monday.
“It was obvious her mole was basal cell,” she said. “The goal of telehealth is not to diagnose patients and leave them on their own. It is trying to see how we can help them get the care they need.”
said Dr. Pierre-Louise, Twin Cities Dermatology Center
The following Monday, Dr. Pierre-Louis excised Megan’s mole because she believed it was basal cell cancer and wanted to treat her quickly.
Besides requesting urgent visits via the store-and-forward teledermatology platform, existing patients can also request virtual prescription refills.
The Miiskin app can also be used by patients to keep track of the changes in their skin over time.
Megan’s original story was published by Today.com
Monitor your moles for changes with Miiskin Premium
- Monitor your moles for changes using close-up photos.
- Monitor for any new spots on your skin as whole.
- Photos are securely backed up aside from phone’s gallery.
- Examine your photo series side by side on a big screen.
- Automatic Skin Mapping to highlight moles and marks.
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