More care for more kids is at the heart of the Driscoll Health System. Telemedicine services has played a vital part in helping the Driscoll team accomplish that goal in the Rio Grande Valley and other markets.
And uses advanced technology applications and broadband telecommunications to allow physicians to see and speak with their patients in real-time, within a private and secure environment, regardless of the distance. Bluetooth stethoscopes, otoscopes, and scanning devices give physicians the ability to expand exam capabilities remotely.
During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine practices fulfill a critical healthcare need for Driscoll. But in-person patient appointments were kept instead of canceled by simply converting them to telemedicine appointments, reducing possible viral exposures and helping patients follow shelter-in-place county guidelines.
Driscoll telemedicine has allowed the scope of pediatric healthcare to continue widening in the Rio Grande Valley and other areas. The variety of local specialty care now available has made a difference in the lives of hundreds of children and their families.
Current Driscoll telemedicine services in the Rio Grande Valley include the following:
• TELE-NICU Program: The physicians of the Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi provide immediate support to six other Texas NICUs through a Regionalization Program. The program helps to strengthen physician-to-physician relationships and to better assess patient transfer cases.
a.) Pediatric Surgery TELE-NICU (Valley Baptist Medical Center Harlingen, Brownsville, DeTar, Doctors Laredo)
Subspecialty Clinic Telehealth and Telemedicine Services
• Cardiology • ENT • Gastroenterology • Plastics • Maternal-Fetal Medicine • Endocrinology • Nephrology • Neurology • Surgery • Genetics • Pulmonology • Oncology/Hematology • Urology • Orthopedic
• Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) incorporated Telemedicine, conducting over 200 consults a month. Sonographers perform an ultrasound, which the MFM physicians interpret who provide the patient’s consultation. Nurses are present with the patient at the remote location to ensure all questions are answered and facilitate care coordination. MFM clinic consults require a multidisciplinary approach to care. Telemedicine helps make the most of the scarce resource of MFM physicians and allows them to provide more patients throughout South Texas.
For Driscoll Health System, telemedicine services’ primary goal is to provide more access to patient care through a secure and effective platform, according to Damaris Perkins, Director of Telemedicine Services.
“In addition, through telemedicine, we strive to increase timely patient care access, maximize physician productivity and efficiency, and solidify our commitment to provide better customer service to patients, colleagues and referring providers.”
Many mothers-to-be in the Rio Grande Valley have been familiar with Driscoll telemedicine for some time. Ryan Loftin, MD, FACOG, Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine for Driscoll Health System, has always been a believer. Full MFM telemedicine clinics were launched in August 2019, allowing for all of the in-person clinic services.
Similary such services allow Rio Grande Valley mothers-to-be to get the best care possible, regardless of where a specialist might be located.
“Telemedicine helps us provide better services to patients and their primary OB providers who are referring them to our group”. In addittion the patients enjoy being seen by a doctor even when we can’t be there in person. But when It has been valuable for giving the best possible care when the weather doesn’t allow us. We can provide care for more patients in more locations by leveraging technology to help extend our reach.”
Dr. Loftin.
Telemedicine services are incorporated into a specialty after a detailed assessment and planning process. Some of the factors that are assessed include reviewing the volume of patients being seen by the specialty. The time it takes for patients to get an appointment.
“The advancement of telemedicine has been by leaps and bounds in sync with the technology that has made smartphones, computers, and televisions more sophisticated and smaller, with better cameras and screen resolution.”
Driscoll Pediatric Plastic Surgeon Kevin S. Hopkins, MD, FACS, of the Craniofacial and Cleft Center.
For Dr. Hopkins, has been an overwhelmingly positive addition to his work with Driscoll. “Telemedicine has helped me to have better, more convenient access to our patients on a daily basis. If someone needs seen right away, or if I may not be at a nearby clinic for several weeks.
“Recent events have dramatically changed the acceleration of bringing into the home and office. These virtual house calls allow for more patient-centric care and increase our ability to respond”
More care for more kids. Through traditional means or the cutting-edge Telemedicine technology, Driscoll Health System will always offer the Rio Grande Valley the absolute best in healthcare.
Driscoll Children's Hospital
Driscoll Children’s Hospital has a rich history of bringing the best and brightest healthcare professionals home to South Texas. Physicians and staff use a creative blend of treatment, education and play to reach the best possible outcome in the treatment of every child. Smiles, hugs and a soothing touch are as much a part of Driscoll’s approach to treating children as is its advanced medical treatments and technologies. When patients and families come to Driscoll for help, they are met with the same compassion, spirit and generosity with which Clara Driscoll blessed our community when she founded Driscoll Children’s Hospital more than 60 years ago.
The hospital and its specialty centers, urgent care centers and after-hours facility, serve a vast area. On a daily basis, physicians and patients are transported by ground and air to ensure the children of South Texas can receive the best treatment possible. Driscoll treats more than 100,000 children every year from 31 South Texas counties.
The hospital is a 191-bed tertiary care center offering 32 medical and 13 surgical specialties.