NEW ORLEANS – Children’s Hospital New Orleans and Cleveland Clinic have announced a new affiliation to expand access to board-certified pediatric radiology experts for children and families of New Orleans and Louisiana. Through the partnership, a team of 16 Cleveland Clinic pediatric and neuro-radiologists will supplement the existing Children’s Hospital New Orleans pediatric radiology team. The Cleveland Clinic team will work in collaboration with Children’s New Orleans-based board-certified pediatric radiologists so that all Children’s Hospital New Orleans locations have 24/7 access to pediatric fellowship-trained radiologists.
“We are proud to launch our affiliation with Cleveland Clinic, one of the nation’s top healthcare institutions, to ensure that families throughout Louisiana and the Gulf South have access to the very best pediatric imaging expertise close to home through implementation of their innovative teleradiology platform,” said Jonathan Brouk, chief operating officer and chief strategy officer for Children’s Hospital New Orleans. “This means families will know their child’s imaging is read by pediatric experts at all Children’s Hospital New Orleans locations at any time of day, instead of having to rely on adult radiologists or waiting until the next day for a study to be read by a pediatric expert, as is the case at other pediatric facilities in our community.”
All of the Cleveland Clinic radiologists are board-certified and have advanced subspecialty training in pediatrics. The parties are also planning to expand the partnership to include an additional four specialists from Cleveland Clinic to read cardiac MRI images, bridging expertise between imaging and heart care and expanding Children’s New Orleans’ cardiac imaging capabilities.
“Our team is committed to ensuring that patients receiving care at Children’s Hospital New Orleans receive the highest quality imaging available,” said Michael Aquino, MD, medical director of Overnight Pediatric Radiology at Cleveland Clinic. “From the initial scan to the report results, we strive to deliver an uncompromising level of quality to each and every child and family we serve, along with the entire care team.”
Cleveland Clinic’s pediatric radiologists will provide a comprehensive imaging experience, from the development of exam protocols to rapid interpretation and physician consultation. Cleveland Clinic’s eRadiology service provides teleradiology services to hospitals, imaging centers and physician group practices by using high speed, secure internet connections, instant messaging and advanced RIS and PACS (Radiology Information System/Picture Archiving and Communication System) systems. This technology also allows referring physicians with electronic access to their patient’s images and reports via a secure web viewer.
The partnership also supports Children’s Hospital’s pediatric trauma program – the only pediatric trauma program in the region – that recently started accepting trauma patients directly from the scene of accidents. The Children’s trauma program is currently pursuing accreditation from the American College of Surgeons.
The new Imaging Center at Children’s Hospital New Orleans opened in April 2020 as part of the hospital’s $300 million campus expansion. The center combines top experts in pediatric radiology with advanced technology to provide precise and safe imaging for patients, in an environment that is child friendly at every level.
To learn more, visit www.chnola.org.
