Telehealth: Healthcare from our hometown to yours
Patients at Horizon Health have a variety of options for seeing a healthcare provider. They can visit a medical, dental or behavioral health provider in one of our 26 clinics in 19 locations throughout South Dakota, or based on circumstance, they can see a provider via telehealth.
Medical
- Telehealth capabilities allow Horizon Health patients to receive healthcare when weather or absence prevents them from seeing a local provider.
- Instead of driving hours to see a specialist, patients can conference with one via telehealth and save time and hassle.
Teledentistry
- All seven of Horizon’s dental clinics have telehealth capabilities if a provider is absent or weather prevents them from making it to the clinic.
- The dental hygienist uses a special wand to conduct the exam while a dentist observes. They can then make a diagnosis and schedule a follow-up appointment if necessary.
Behavioral Health
- Patients can choose between in-home or in-clinic appointments with one of Horizon’s behavioral health providers.
- Your primary care provider can refer you for behavioral health services at any time. Most appointments are conducted via telehealth for convenience and confidentiality.
Horizon telemedicine connects Burmese man with life-saving treatment
Telemedicine has played a pivotal role in the treatment of Tin Aung Thein.
Thein moved to North Carolina from Burma in February 2022. He learned he had chronic kidney disease in 2003. He saw a doctor in North Carolina but not a kidney specialist. Due to his health, he stopped work and stayed home to take care of his children. He eventually moved to Huron, South Dakota, where a family member told him about Horizon.
As a federally qualified health center, Horizon providers see all patients, regardless of their ability to pay or insurance status. Once Thein was referred to Horizon Health Huron he was connected with a specialist at Sanford Health in Sioux Falls and a nephrologist at Prairie Lakes Hospital in Watertown. Because Thein has no way to get to out-of-town appointments, telemedicine, also provided by Horizon, has been an invaluable tool in his care. Thein speaks with the specialist via an interpreter at Horizon’s Huron clinic. Karen language interpreters help Thein interact with his specialists and primary care providers.
Thein’s access to care in Burma was different to the relatively convenient access he has now. In Burma, if he could pay for the treatment he could go to the doctor. He would see different doctors who would prescribe him different medications based on his test results.
“If you can afford it, you get the care, if not you do not receive the care you needed,” Thein said. “Sometimes it’s hard.”