Dartmouth Health telehealth enables complex birth patients to stay at rural hospitals

Dartmouth Health’s neonatology telehealth service enables New Hampshire and Vermont mothers to deliver babies with complex health needs at one of 16 rural hospitals instead of traveling to its academic medical center for care. The Lebanon, N.H.-based system started the service in 2017 to address the declining number of rural hospitals providing labor and delivery services. When emergencies arise, ambulances bring pregnant women to their local hospital, even when it does not offer labor and delivery services. Rural hospitals use phones to connect with an expert neonatologist. Dartmouth trains rural care teams to ensure they are comfortable using the technology. The program’s success led Dartmouth to expand maternal and neonatal care services to the outpatient setting. It also plans a virtual program for emergency obstetrics. (HealthLeaders Media article, 5/27/26)