PORTSMOUTH, Va. (NNS) -- By combining resources in a joint initiative between Naval Medical Center Portsmouth and the 633rd Medical Group at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, more than $1.5 million of taxpayer money has been saved in less than a year. 

This joint venture means Air Force service members have Navy doctors caring for their children in an Air Force hospital, and Navy families' babies are treated by Air Force nurses in a Navy hospital. 

This innovative resource-sharing project has resulted in improved patient safety, significant cost savings, and convenience to families of newborns who need neonatal intensive care. 

The project is coordinated by the Tidewater enhanced Multiservice Market, or eMSM for short. In an analysis of data from October 2013 to August 2014, more than 150 acutely ill newborns were diverted to civilian hospitals due to the limited number of neonatal ICU beds within the Tidewater military health system. 

For babies who are transferred out, the continuity of patient care is disrupted, risking patient safety. Families must travel to visit their newborns, who often require weeks or months of hospitalization. And sending care to a civilian hospital contributes an additional $3 million for taxpayers. Read More