Summerlin, Salt Lake City hospitals form pediatric partnership

Summerlin Hospital Medical Center and Salt Lake City’s Primary Children’s Hospital on Tuesday announced a partnership to bring improved pediatric care to patients in Las Vegas.

A closer relationship between the two hospitals will mean smoother transitions for patients traveling between both places, better access to education for medical professionals, and increased availability of more specialized care than is currently available in Southern Nevada.

“Even though we are well equipped to handle the majority of complex pediatric cases, there are some advanced services not available in Las Vegas,” Robert Freymuller , CEO of Summerlin Hospital, said in a news release.

Primary Children’s Hospital can grant local families access to pediatricians who specialize in genetic disorders, infectious diseases and psychiatric support.

“Given the demand, we don’t have enough of them, which can lead to things like longer wait times for the families here,” said Anne Schenk , administrator of the Children’s Medical Center at Summerlin Hospital.

Another new feature of the partnership is telemedicine consultations. In cases where a specialist is not physically needed, patients and physicians can still benefit from their expertise by having Skype-like web interviews.

“We don’t necessarily need them at the bedside, we need their knowledge,” Schenk said.

In general, Schenk said, linking the two hospitals will lend confidence and comfort to families in what can be an otherwise anxiety-provoking process.

Contact Kimber Laux at klaux@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter: @lauxkimber.