Indiana Woman Can See Her Physician With the Click of a Button

Mary Margaret Lavelle, 56, is a busy woman with a life filled with commitments – work, family and social – to name a few. With the whirlwind that life brings, she likes to simplify things when she can.

Mary Margaret moved to Cleveland from Indianapolis, Indiana, 29 years ago. She fell in love with the city and loved her life here. She had an amazing job, a great set of friends, enjoyed the convenience of living in Lakewood, and was an avid Cleveland sports fan.

She raised four children here — who are now spread across the U.S. and beyond: Toronto, Canada; Boca Raton, Florida; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. She decided it was time to pack up her life and move back to Indiana. “I absolutely love Cleveland,” says Mary Margaret. “But it was time for a change.”

Mary Margaret, who works in the marketing and sales industry, was able to stay with her organization and work remotely. She returns to Cleveland during the year when needed.

“It’s the best of both worlds. I was able to move back to Indianapolis, travel to visit my family and still go to Cleveland,” says Mary Margaret.

During those trips back to Cleveland, she would make appointments with her physician, Holly L. Thacker, MD, director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Specialized Women’s Health.

For one trip, it proved to be difficult to schedule an appointment with Dr. Thacker. “My schedule was jam-packed and I couldn’t switch things around to fit in an appointment when Dr. Thacker was available. “It was my schedule that was getting in the way, not hers,” jokes Mary Margaret.

After exhausting all options, she took an appointment, but it wasn’t exactly conducive to her schedule.

Because of the scheduling difficulty, Dr. Thacker’s nurse called Mary Margaret a short time later and asked if she was familiar with virtual visits. “When she explained what it was, I immediately thought of all the time I’d save and how less stressed I’d be just by using this simple online appointment tool,” she remembers.

“If someone was thinking about using virtual visits, I’d say ‘What are you waiting for? Your time is valuable!’"

Mary Margaret scheduled an online medical appointment and instructions for the virtual appointment were emailed to her. “It was quick and easy. I just downloaded the MyClevelandClinic app and logged into MyChart shortly before the appointment. After a short wait in the virtual waiting room, there was Dr. Thacker saying ‘Hi Mary Margaret’,” explains Ms. Lavelle. “It was amazing how convenient this was. I was able to have all of my questions answered by Dr. Thacker and received the medical care I needed from my living room.”

One of her biggest concerns about moving back to Indianapolis was not being able to see Dr. Thacker — she didn’t want to find a new doctor. Now, MyClevelandClinic lets her make an appointment whenever she needs one. She doesn’t have to drive five hours to see her doctor or miss meetings — and she can spend some extra time with friends — or catch a ball game —when she’s in Cleveland.

And, if she’s visiting one of her children, she can see Dr. Thacker from there as well. “If someone was thinking about using virtual visits, I’d say ‘What are you waiting for? Your time is valuable!’ I absolutely love the option of online appointments,” says Mary Margaret.