Nemours Children’s Health System chose Vidyo for CareConnect

Nemours Children’s Health System is one of the nation’s leading integrated pediatric networks, providing specialty care, prevention, and health information services in 80 locations across six states, including two freestanding children’s hospitals in Delaware and Florida. Founded in 1936, Nemours is a nonprofit children’s health system that cares for nearly 400,000 patients a year. Their two freestanding hospitals have been recognized among the top in the nation, and lead the way in pediatric health research, specialty care, and education aimed at improving the lives of children. The health system strives to ensure the best course of action for each patient while keeping them close to home. In many cases, patients are presented to hospitals that do not have pediatric specialists on site. In an effort to connect these community hospitals with Nemours experts, and only transfer patients when medically necessary, Nemours turned to telehealth. “After evaluating competing technologies and looking at what was going to fit our needs, it was an easy decision. Vidyo was on top of the list,” said Jeffrey Barnello, manager of Telehealth Operations and Technology at Nemours. “Our key criteria were ease of use and flexibility. Beyond having the best technology in the healthcare market, we need local clinics to know our experts are here whenever they need answers or help.” Nemours deployed Vidyo in the emergency department at their affiliated hospitals and critical care facilities, opening a high-quality, secure, and HIPAA-compliant visual channel for their critical care pediatric specialists. With the ability to connect attending ED physicians and patients at community hospitals at a moment’s notice, Nemours’ care teams can determine the best course of treatment. Often, Nemours specialists are able to remotely address a concern, allowing patients and families to stay close to home.

“Reaching kids and families where they would otherwise not have access to specialty pediatric medicine is very important to us,” said Barnello. “Now we’re able to remotely deliver critical care directly to the patient within their medical home and help our partners make quick, life-changing medical decisions. This has worked for very sick and critically injured kids, and it has rewarded us in a way that’s hard to explain. Our families are forever thankful.” After seeing impressive results, Nemours expanded their efforts to help patients through telehealth. They worked to develop a specialty care program that allows pediatric specialists access to remote clinics, primary care offices, partner intensive care units, and pediatric patient floors. Additionally, Nemours launched the first-of-its-kind 24/7 direct-to-consumer platform in six states with Vidyo partner American Well. “Thanks to CareConnect we now do critical care on emergency consoles, behavioral healthcare, and much more,” said Barnello. “We have empowered our physicians,  physician assistants, nurses, and dieticians, all on the same platform. Today, they come up with fantastic ideas all the time that help us make a difference in caring for kids.” Following Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which hit Texas and Florida, Nemours offered CareConnect at no charge to families impacted by the storms. Helping during disaster relief is yet another opportunity for Nemours to bring its pediatric expertise closer to families. For Barnello and Nemours, improved outcomes are the bottom line and the only way forward. “We can’t wait to grow the ways we’re able to leverage technology to make a difference in our patients’ and families’ lives,” Barnello concluded.