Cody Regional Health: Neonatal Care Experts Are Just a Call Away

The new 24/7 telemedicine program isn’t replacing in-person care, but it can help babies receive expert care without needing to be transferred elsewhere to get it.

Cody Regional Health (CRH), Level I Nursery Center, recently announced their Women’s Health and Nursery staff and pediatric team will now have even greater access to neonatal intensive care specialists when needed. They were trained in using the new telemedicine technology in February and March and will be ready to consult with a tele-neonatologist by April 4, 2023.

The telemedicine technology will allow CRH providers and teams to connect with neonatologists in Denver and Billings to examine infants in real-time, provide treatment recommendations, or evaluate them for transfer to a neonatal intensive care unit.

After a tele-neonatology consult, a baby may be healthy enough to remain at CRH hospital. If not, the baby may need to be transferred to a hospital in Billings that has a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and, less frequently, Denver Children’s.

Common newborn conditions that may benefit from a tele-neonatology consult include:

• Prematurity (delivery before 36 weeks of pregnancy)
• Need for advanced resuscitation or intensive care
• Breathing problems
• Congenital disabilities

Courtesy Cody Regional Health

Cody Regional Health staff are celebrating the addition of tele-neonatology, which will allow Bighorn Basin residents to get essential care for their infants without leaving home.

“This will be a wonderful addition to an already amazing birthing team here at CRH. “Tele neonatology will be an added tool for care and will not be replacing our in-person pediatric or nursing coverage. We are fortunate to be able to bring this service to the Big Horn Basin,”

• Doug McMillan, CRH Chief Executive Officer.

“This technology enhances our communication with teams we can only consult by phone at the present time. In the immediate future, we will be able to consult a neonatologist with auditory and visual capabilities through a secure application to join our team when needed. This will give us specialty and expert input while a baby is still in Cody.”

• Natika Mitchell-Cowie, Women’s Health and Nursery Director.

“This is exciting for CRH as it will enable the pediatric providers to consult highly experienced neonatologists 24/7. This service will provide access to expert advice with questions or help with stabilization of an infant while awaiting transport to a primary level 3 or 4 NICU,”

• Laurie Hipwell, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.