Boston Children’s to Launch Telehealth Pilot for Newborn Audiology Screening
The hospital is using a grant from the CARES Act to create a telehealth program that provides audiologists for virtual screenings at Cape Cod Hospital.
- Boston Children’s Hospital is launching a telehealth program to screen newborns on Cape Cod and outlying islands for hearing issues.
The hospital is creating a hub-and-spoke telemedicine platform with Cape Cod Hospital to provide virtual access to audiologists for the pilot program, with coordination through the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program for follow-up care.
Officials say babies born on Cape Cod and the islands are more than twice as likely to miss out on follow-up care after a failed hearing screen, often because of the time and travel required to visit audiological diagnostic centers in Boston, Taunton or Fall River.