Expectant mothers now have a choice: Baby Place, Florida Hospital Altamonte's new hospital-based birth center, provides more delivery options within the safety of a hospital setting. Baby Place is the only maternity unit to offer a birthing center within a hospital, letting women customize the birth experience, and giving them more power and involvement in the birthing process.
?As part of Orlando Health, South Seminole Hospital has access to a network of hospitals with multidisciplinary teams of expert physicians working together to treat patients with a wide range of conditions. Specialty Services at South Seminole Hospital range from 24-hour Emergency Medicine, Behavioral Health, and Cardiac Diagnostics to Pulmonary Wellness, Women's Services, and Wound Care. With leading-edge technology, physicians in these specialties can share their knowledge with patients and other physicians, whether or not they happen to be in the same room or building. This is especially helpful during an emergency, when every minute is critical.
South Seminole Hospital does this by means of telemedicine, the ability to transmit data—live video of the patient, X-rays and medical records—via the Internet or through direct lines between on-site and remote locations. Alhough South Seminole is home to its own specialty physicians, experts at other Orlando Health hospitals may have particular knowledge on a condition, or be aware of research that would be beneficial to communicate to on-site physicians.
"With telemedicine, we can communicate with experts at larger facilities, like Orlando Regional Medical Center downtown, or even across state lines, in the event that a patient's X-ray or EKG requires an expert reading," says pulmonology specialist Richard Feibelman, MD.
For example, a patient is admitted to South Seminole Hospital with symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis. On-site specialists could take the patient's X-rays, lab data, blood gases test results and breathing information, and then consult with other specialists by video conference to help determine a diagnosis. Together, they can direct patient care and effect the best possible outcomes.
Similarly, patients experiencing symptoms of a stroke can be instantly evaluated by a neurologist at a remote location while the on-site team begins treatment.
Telemedicine is also used within different areas of the hospital. In the Intensive Care Unit, real-time communication via telemedicine can be used when the patient and consulting physician are in one part of the hosptial and the specialist is in another.
In all such cases, telemedicine enables physicians not only to read patient data but also look at a patient through a high-definition camera and ask questions. Physicians can zoom in on a patient's eyes, skin tones or other indicators in order to make an accurate diagnosis.
No matter what condition telemedicine is being used to treat, it greatly expands the capability of specialists at South Seminole Hospital by providing fast, seamless access to expert care that not only improves quality of life for patients; it saves lives.
South Seminole Hospital
555 W. SR 434, Longwood; 407.767.1200; southseminolehospital.com.
For information on integrated services or Orlando Health hospitals: 321.8HEALTH (321.843.2584); orlandohealth.com.
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