The Antenatal &
Neonatal Guidelines, Education and Learning System (ANGELS) was
established in 2002 when two major state agencies, the University of
Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the Arkansas Department of Health and
Human Services, joined forces to address rural health care disparities
and improve obstetrical and neonatal care across Arkansas. With the
support of the Arkansas Medical Society and physicians across Arkansas,
a unique collaboration was developed that uses telemedicine, a 24-hour
call center, and evidence-based guidelines to direct improvements in
perinatal healthcare delivery.
Utilizing a growing telehealth network, ANGELS extends the expertise of
Arkansas’ only board-certified Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialists
into the hands of community providers and patients in an effort to
maintain the level of obstetrical care throughout Arkansas, while
reducing healthcare expenditures and providing a protective, medical
legal barrier for individual practitioners.
Nationally, Arkansas ranks second poorest in women’s health and first in
poverty. Arkansas has ranked above the national low-birth weight rate
for the last 16 years. Further, 73 of 75 counties are designated a
medically underserved area, with much of Arkansas facing a healthcare
provider shortage. Before ANGELS, rural residents had limited access to
MFM specialists and other obstetrical specialty care. ANGELS enables
rural residents in need of advanced care and their local healthcare
providers to easily seek consultation from obstetrical experts through
telemedicine.
Through telemedicine, ANGELS provides the appropriate level of support
and consultations to assess and treat most high-risk pregnancies,
finding many times the patient consulted through telemedicine will not
require a visit to a distant tertiary center. In addition to
telemedicine, collaboration with rural physicians via statewide
teleconferencing is utilized weekly to develop guidelines for
obstetrical and neonatal care.
ANGELS and the Rural Hospital Program have recently founded the Center
for Distance Health, a division of UAMS that will focus on using
telemedicine to educate, consult, and treat remote patients seeking
support in all disciplines supported by the UAMS College of Medicine.
Through the ANGELS program and as we expand into the Center for Distance
Health, new ideas, concepts, formulation and paradigms, and new ways of
thinking “outside the box” are crucial in our quest to establish a
comprehensive system in addressing the health care needs of Arkansas.
Come join us as we continue to work together, bridging gaps and building
connections, to provide the best possible care for all.
Curtis L. Lowery, Jr., M.D.
Professor and Chair, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Director, Maternal-Fetal Medicine & ANGELS Program
Executive Director, The Center for Distance Health
