Children’s Minnesota has added CCM Health in Montevideo, Minnesota, as a new Children’s Minnesota: Neonatal Virtual Care program partner. Now, providers at the Southwest Minnesota hospital have 24/7 access to Children’s Minnesota’s Level IV neonatal experts – the highest designation by the American Academy of Pediatrics. When requested, Children’s Minnesota’s neonatal team virtually assists providers at CCM health with the stabilization of newborns in real-time through audio/video telehealth consultations. Our experts also consult on if an infant requires advanced care, and help coordinate transportation to an advanced care facility such as the Children’s Minnesota Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at our Minneapolis campus.
“As the kid experts, Children’s Minnesota strives to form strong partnerships with health systems like CCM Health to bring our high-level of specialized neonatal care to more virtual bedsides,” said Dr. Mark Bergeron, founder and lead neonatologist of Children’s Minnesota: Neonatal Virtual Care. “By doing so, we can deliver more provider-to-provider consultations – on-demand – so we help care for more of the most complex and critically ill newborns from across our region.”
“This truly allows us to provide the highest quality, specialized care to our newborns when needed,” said Dr. Nick Taurinskas, family practice and obstetrics physician at CCM Health, in a recent CCM Health announcement. “This partnership provides CCM Health and our families with the ability to more easily connect with expertly-trained physicians, so we can continue to better serve our patients right here in the Montevideo area.”
Children’s Minnesota is home to the region’s largest neonatology program, with a neonatal team of more than 500 doctors, surgeons, neonatal nurse practitioners and pediatric specialists. So far, eight regional health care systems from across Minnesota and Wisconsin have partnered with the Children’s Minnesota: Neonatal Virtual Care program since it launched in 2018.