Franciscan Health has announced that it has entered into a professional services agreement with the department of neurological surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. As part of the agreement, Kevin Jackson, MD, a full-time Northwestern Medicine neurosurgeon, is now offering services at Franciscan Health Crown Point. The agreement also includes Telestroke services at four Franciscan Health hospitals in the Northwest Indiana area. In addition to the full-time neurological surgeon, Northwestern Memorial is expanding its Telestroke program to four acute care hospitals in Indiana. The Telestroke services will be implemented at Franciscan Health Crown Point, Franciscan Health Dyer, Franciscan Health Hammond and Franciscan Health Munster. Telestroke uses videoconferencing to connect stroke patients to leading vascular neurologists at Northwestern Memorial to examine the patient, immediately interpret brain scan results and make treatment recommendations in consultation with Emergency Department personnel at Franciscan Health Hospitals. According to the press release, Northwestern Medicine health system’s Telestroke program partners with more than a dozen of hospitals across Illinois and Northwest Indiana to offer patients access to world-class physicians at one of the nation’s top neurosciences’ program.