The Verizon Foundation has awarded The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) a grant of $100,000 to launch a telemedicine pilot program to provide pediatric specialty consultations to community hospitals for seriously ill children, where they are often needed but not available.
Telemedicine is the use of electronic devices like iPhones and iPads to keep doctors and patients in touch remotely, wherever either may be.
"Thanks to the support of The Verizon Foundation's funding, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia will be able to embark on a telemedicine pilot program with the goal of providing top caliber pediatric expertise to children, no matter where they live, through their community hospital," said Michael Apkon, chief medical officer of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, in the press release.
Often, people living far from medical facilities or who have trouble getting to them just don’t go to the doctor, and certainly don’t have a chance to see specialists. But medical grade video conferencing applications now have the ability to bring pediatric specialists “to points of care where their expertise can facilitate diagnosis and treatment in a way that transcends geography,” the press release states.
This pilot phase will be conducted in community hospitals in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, according to the press release.
In December the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced grants to 34 states and one territory to improve the delivery of healthcare in rural areas through telemedicine.
"Verizon is proud to overcome medical health care barriers of distance, time or availability of doctors and nurses through the use of technology," said Douglas R. Smith, vice president of state government affairs, Verizon Pennsylvania, in the press release. "We are proud to partner with CHOP, a leading health care institution who shares the No. 1 spot on U.S. News & World Report's Honor Roll of the nation's best children's hospitals and whom we are fortunate to have located here in the greater Philadelphia region, to pilot the delivery of patient services, diagnosis and treatment through video conferencing. It's exciting and a win-win for all!"
The pilot program will look into the ability to provide specialist services remotely to the community hospital setting for intensive care services; neonatal intensive care; inpatient pediatric care; neurology consultation; genetics consultation and in the emergency department. Children's Hospital's Telemedicine Program is aimed at offering a level of pediatric expertise not usually available at community hospitals, and to reduce the numbers of patients who would otherwise be “transferred for specialty evaluations when appropriate care could be delivered at the originating hospital,” according to the press release.
Edited by
Carrie Schmelkin
