This company is helping families in rural New Mexico have access to perinatal care
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Quality perinatal care is priceless for expecting families, while patients in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Las Cruces may have access to the service. It's a different story for families living in rural parts of the state. One healthcare company is looking to bridge the gap with technology that everyone is now familiar with after the pandemic.
Leslie Romero is the proud mom of five kids. To say it's a full house would be an understatement.
Then there's little Ivy. Leslie's one-year-old daughter. Early on in her pregnancy, Leslie received some concerning news. 'We did some genetic testing, and the genetic testing came back, at high risk for trisomy 21, which is Down's syndrome,' said Romero.
According to an article from UNM Health Sciences, one in three counties in the state is considered an 'OB desert.' The vast expanse between urban areas, a shortage of healthcare workers, and the grueling work of a medical professional have all contributed to the situation.
'The biggest buzzword in pregnancy is maternity care. Deserts. And that surrounds access to care, timeliness of care. And then is the available complexity of care that the person needs physically readily available for the patient,' said Michael S. Ruma, MD, with Perinatal Associates of New Mexico.
What goes on at Kirtland Air Force Base?
It's a problem Perinatal Associates of New Mexico is taking head-on through technology that patients around the world are now familiar with: telemedicine.
Founded in 1987, Perinatal Associates of New Mexico has grown over the years from locations in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, and Santa Fe to add additional offices in Farmington and Las Cruces.
But their reach was able to grow exponentially when their outreach centers opened in Española, Los Alamos, Ruidoso, Socorro, and Roswell. 'I was able to see Dr. Ruma and his staff in Albuquerque a couple of times. And that was at the beginning, till we established the plan of care of what was going on, and things took off as the pregnancy progressed. So there were more ultrasounds, more frequency of the visits, and those we completely did remotely from Roswell,' said Romero.
Dr. Ruma said prior to the pandemic, his company averaged around 700 telemedicine visits annually. As of last year, they saw nearly 1,700 visits through telemedicine, helping more expectant moms like Leslie get the care they need much closer to home.
Dr. Ruma said ongoing advocacy and support for telemedicine ultrasound is vital to their practice and their ability to reach patients like Leslie sooner and with greater care.
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