Telemedicine launches at Northwest Community Hospital

Northwest Community Healthcare has added pediatric telemedicine to its Emergency Department with a Phase II plan to add additional services in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

This expands on the current partnership with Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, in which pediatric specialists work with the NCH care team to help diagnose and treat patients. NCH is the first hospital in the Chicago area to utilize telemedicine technology with Lurie Children's Hospital in the Emergency Department.

"Telemedicine is a rapidly growing service that allows community hospitals to access a wide range of clinical specialists while allowing families to remain in their communities," said NCH Director of Women's and Children's Services Don Houchins, RN.

"This innovative partnership with Lurie Children's Hospital will bring a new level of specialty care to those served by Northwest Community Hospital."

NCH now has access to Lurie Children's Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine for face-to-face consultations and subspecialty access 24/7. This is an expansion of the dedicated Pediatric Emergency Department, which is open from noon to midnight daily. Whether it's a strange rash or a traumatic brain injury, patients can be diagnosed and treated by the NCH care team in collaboration with Lurie Children's pediatric specialists.

"The goal is to keep pediatric patients in their own community surrounded by family and friends so that they can heal faster," Katie Bohling, Director, Telehealth Programs at Lurie Children's, said. "Telemedicine offers a unique opportunity to meet the goal by providing access to Lurie Children's specialists in real-time."

Direct dial happens right from the telemedicine cart, with calls going through within 10 seconds and face-to-face consultation happening within 15 minutes. The technology allows more pediatric patients to be treated at NCH rather than transported to the city, oftentimes separated from their parents.

For three years, NCH has been connecting stroke patients with neurologists at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago through the NCH Telestroke Program.

Serving Chicago's Northwest suburbs since 1959, Northwest Community Healthcare is an independent health care system dedicated to serving the community. Its comprehensive, patient-centered system of care has locations throughout Chicago's Northwest suburbs.