As part of a new partnership with the Connecticut Child Care Network, the Nest Collaborative will offer unlimited same-day telehealth appointments with certified lactation consultants. for parents who need breastfeeding support before and during birth.
Virtual care services will be provided with no copays, out-of-pocket costs or deductibles to families with active insurance or Medicaid coverage.
WHY IT IMPORTANT
The Connecticut Child Care Network, with 37 independent pediatric clinics and more than 200 primary care providers for children in Connecticut and Massachusetts, has a mission to improve quality of care and health outcomes. for infants, children and adolescents.
Dr. David M. Krol, medical director of the Connecticut Child Care Network, said: “As a primary care provider for children, we know the short- and long-term benefits of children. medical and neurodevelopmental aspects of breastfeeding.
The network is partnering with the nation’s first and largest virtual lactation counseling platform, which offers services in more than 10 languages, seven days a week in all 50 states, to improve nursing care. success of breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding has been shown to reduce the risk of maternal and neonatal morbidity, yet there are systemic barriers to supporting this practice.
“We also know that there are significant socio-demographic and cultural differences in the initiation and continuation of breastfeeding. The lactation consultants are certified by the International Board of Trustees. of Nest Collaborative provides fair, evidence-based guidance to our families when they need it most to help prevent and overcome breastfeeding difficulties.” Kroll added.
The partnership says IBCLC is the gold standard of care. As lactation specialists, they assist families in infant feeding decisions, including exclusive breastfeeding, complementary and re-breastfeeding, and help navigate infant feeding. eat when parents go back to work.
TREND TO BIGGER
Since the beginning of the pandemic, hospital operators have seen telemedicine as a way to help bridge the gap in maternal health, providing a number of pregnancy-related services, including breastfeeding support, mental health support and home monitoring.
Deborah Muro, CIO at El Camino Hospital, said: “When a new mom needs a lactation consultant, it’s likely she’ll need support day and night. take advantage of virtual breastfeeding services to meet the unique needs of these mothers.” Healthcare IT News when Mountain View Hospital, California launched virtual care last year.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control, the barriers are profound for black women, who have higher rates of maternal mortality and morbidity than white women.
“Many factors contribute to these disparities, such as variability in health care quality, underlying chronic diseases, structural racism and implicit biases,” the agency said. adds, “Social determinants of health prevent many people from racial and ethnic groups from having fair opportunities for economic, physical, and emotional health.”
However, expanding access to telehealth requires consideration of existing regulatory hurdles. Before the pandemic, patients had to be in a rural area in a hospital or medical facility to get reimbursement for telehealth.
Year-end legislation that includes a two-year extension to Medicare telehealth flexibility has been in place since the COVID-19 public health emergency was declared, but the industry telehealth is advocating for the permanent implementation of the systemic changes brought about by the expansion of telehealth.
ON PROFILE
“Connecticut Children’s maintains the highest quality clinical standards for the care of children and it is an honor to partner with them,” said Amanda Gorman, founder and clinical director of Nest Collaborative, in a statement. An announcement.
“We are especially excited to join the Connecticut Children’s Care Network to bring together the pediatric expertise that Connecticut Children’s provides with the quality of care that our community physicians and IBCLCs bring to our care. families and babies,” she said.
Andrea Fox is the senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: [email protected]
Healthcare IT News is a publication of HIMSS.
