Baptist Union County brings neonatology to patients through partnership with North Mississippi Medical Center

Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union County and the North Mississippi Medical Center’s Women’s Hospital recently announced the first neonatal telemedicine partnership between two non-affiliated hospitals in Mississippi. The service is also a first in the state and will give top-level care to newborns, new moms and their families. Using innovative, two-way audiovisual communications, clinical data access and medical imaging, neonatologists can now provide immediate consultative care to physicians in New Albany.

“This partnership will enhance the services we offer newborns, particularly those who need intensive care,” explained Walter Grace, the administrator and CEO of Baptist Union County. “Patients can now receive this service without leaving New Albany. The evaluation will come from physicians trained specifically to handle the most complex and high-risk situations in newborns.”

Ellen Friloux, administrator for women and children’s services at North Mississippi Medical Center, said the neonatology service at Baptist Union County will improve the continuity of care for the patient and family.

“This telemedicine project will improve communication with referring physicians and with new parents when the neonatologists are consulted or when a baby is referred to NMMC’s neonatal intensive care unit,” Friloux said. “The neonatologists will be able to not only hear from the physician how the baby is doing, but will also be able to see and examine the baby. In addition, the neonatologists will be able to interact face to face with parents about what is going on with their baby and what the plans are for the baby’s care and possible transfer.”

Last year, more than 1,200 babies were born at Baptist Union County.

The telemedicine technology solution is provided by InTouch Health, the leader in providing solutions for high-quality applications where doctors are required to take immediate clinical action. While this is the first placement of an acute care telemedicine system in Mississippi, InTouch solutions are deployed at nearly 1,000 hospital locations on six continents and are now in use by 15 percent of all U.S. hospitals.