Midwest Maternal-Fetal Medicine Triples Number of Telemedicine Consultations
St. Louis-Based Practice Performs Telemedicine Tests for More Than 1,300 Patients Per Year
ST. LOUIS, July 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Midwest Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM), a St. Louis-based group of high-risk obstetricians, tripled its number of telemedicine consultations during the first half of the year to accommodate a higher number of patients at outlying facilities. The practice cares for approximately 1,300 patients per year using telemedicine, which is available at its Washington and O'Fallon offices in Missouri, and its Maryville office in Illinois. Telemedicine is the use of telecommunication and other technologies to provide clinical health care at a distance.
Midwest Maternal-Fetal Medicine uses state-of-the-art ultrasound machines provided by Mercy Hospital St. Louis for its telemedicine consultations. Using telemedicine technology allows physicians like Dr. Gilbert Webb to do real-time ultrasound evaluations for patients at another facility, and when appropriate, speak with patients face-to-face to discuss results.
"Our telemedicine capabilities enable our experts here in St. Louis to support patients at our other offices in real time, near the patients' homes and primary physicians," said Dr. Gilbert Webb, medical director of Midwest Maternal-Fetal Medicine. "That saves those patients the cost and time of driving to our main office. And, more importantly, it gives them the peace of mind of getting expert support without waiting long periods of time."
One example of a recent telemedicine success story was when Dr. Gilbert Webb worked with a couple to determine they were having triplets. The couple was at the Washington office, and Dr. Webb reviewed their ultrasound, confirmed that they were having triplets by providing them immediate feedback through telemedicine technology and implemented an appropriate care plan.
"When patients get a regular ultrasound and find out something might be wrong, or there is uncertainty, it can be a stressful time. By getting patients to one of our outlying facilities and using telemedicine to conference with our maternal-fetal medicine experts, we are able to give them more information that same day," said Dr. Gilbert Webb. "Additional tests can be done immediately and patients get guidance from our specialists on what the results mean for them."
About Midwest Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Midwest Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) is a group of specialists with training in obstetrics and gynecology, and an in-depth understanding of pregnancy complications and treatments. Midwest MFM specialists work in collaboration with obstetricians to provide care for high-risk pregnant women.
Media Contact:
Andy Likes
314-606-1878 (cell)
SOURCE Midwest Maternal-Fetal Medicine
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