Instead of having to ship a DVD, the echocardiogram can now be
transmitted over the broadband telemedicine network. In most cases, physicians receive a definitive diagnosis almost immediately, or within the same
day. This collaborative effort resulted in the publication of a seminal article authored by Lax, Warda and colleagues. Published in 2012 in Telemedicine and e-Health, the leading telemedicine journal, it confirmed that neonatal echocardiograms viewed and interpreted via telemedicine are as accurate as echocardiograms recorded and shipped to the interpreting physician in another city. And both are "indispensable in the remote diagnosis of congenital heart disease."
"The greater benefit is to the families," ... "They can be right there with their baby and get a diagnosis from the cardiologist in Tucson almost right away. And I can tell you, when you have a baby who's sick, that means so much, instead of having to wait until tomorrow or the next day, or even longer to get an answer."
Yuma Regional Medical Center has one of the top-ranked neonatal ICUs in Arizona. One reason is the Arizona Telemedicine Program, which helps the hospital fulfill its promise of "care close to home." Click here for more
