From War Zone to Living Rooms: Israeli Innovation Redefines Pregnancy Care at Home

Nuvo

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June 23, 2025

If you cannot bring the pregnant mom to the hospital, bring the hospital to the pregnant mom!

Pregnancy is a delicate journey. Western medicine has evolved to provide the best possible care for pregnant moms – in hospitals and in clinics. But what happens during and after a missile attack when the facilities are not safe or accessible? What happens when pregnant moms who were already hospitalized for high-risk conditions such as preeclampsia or FGR, are suddenly told they must go home now because the hospital is under threat from missile attacks?

The answer sounds simple but was over a decade in the making: if you cannot bring the pregnant mom to the hospital, bring the hospital to the pregnant mom!

In Israel this was fast-tracked into reality after Oct 7. What has happened since and especially now during the current Israel crisis, is transforming pregnancy care with global implications that extend well beyond Israel’s present crisis.

Stage 1: Oct 8, 2023 – Moving Mountains, Cutting Through Bureaucracy

In the days following the horrific events of Oct 7, 2023 the urgency of the moment cut through the typical layers of healthcare bureaucracy. Sheba Beyond Maternity Care, a leading clinic in Israel, was ordered to clear out the maternity ward to make space in the hospital for the anticipated dramatic increase in soldier and civilian casualties. However, sending high-risk pregnant moms home without proper care could dramatically increase the risk of an adverse, and possibly life-threatening, outcome.

As fate would have it, Sheba Beyond was already collaborating in a clinical study with Nuvo, an innovative Israeli start-up that pioneered a groundbreaking wearable platform called INVU that was specifically designed to enable moms to monitor themselves and their baby-in-utero from anywhere, anytime, with medical data automatically sent to their physicians. The perfect solution in a time of need – as long as INVU could be approved by the Israel Health Ministry. Nuvo had good reason to be concerned about timing since it had just previously received FDA approval only after years of regulatory review.

This time it took just three weeks! The Israel Health Ministry fast-tracked the approval for the use of INVU to de-hospitalize high-risk patients based on the results of the already in progress clinical study being conducted by Sheba Beyond and Nuvo, along with the extensive clinical evidence that was used to receive the U.S. FDA approval.

Sheba Beyond has been de-hospitalizing high-risk pregnancies ever since and monitoring them remotely using INVU with exceptional results. Moms with high-risk pregnancies who would otherwise be confined to a hospital ward are instead receiving care from the comfort of their home or work with full medical oversight. The positive outcomes of Sheba Beyond’s experience has become the basis of significant ongoing studies, with initial results published in a major medical peer reviewed journal1 as well as presented at a prominent medical conference2.

Stage 2: June 13, 2025 – Innovating and Expanding

With the current heightened threat in Israel of missile attacks amplified by the direct missile hit on Soroka hospital in Southern Israel, it became immediately paramount to accelerate ‘hospital-at-home’ care for all departments. The next stage of remote pregnancy care is evolving in real-time and will have a global impact.

  • Scaling Pregnancy Care – Remote pregnancy care is not limited by hospital rooms or in-hospital staffing resources. With the flexibility of INVU along with Sheba Beyond’s existing Command-and-Control center, Sheba Beyond can manage pregnancies for its own de-hospitalized pregnant moms and even support those de-hospitalized from other hospitals.
  • Replicating Sheba’s Remote Pregnancy Command & Control Center (C&C) – Sheba Beyond has been gracious in offering other hospitals in Israel the opportunity to learn and replicate its remote pregnancy care Command & Control setup and protocol. A single nurse in a Command & Control center can remotely monitor multiple times the number of pregnancies that an in-hospital nurse can manage in person.
  • Ambulatory Service Care – In many cases where a pregnant mom is concerned about the health of her in-utero baby that would typically lead to an emergency room visit, she can instead receive an in-home ambulatory service checkup with INVU. If warranted, the C&C physician can immediately enroll her into a remote pregnancy care protocol for a period of time or for the remainder of her pregnancy.

U.S. Impact

Sheba Beyond serves as a blueprint for the U.S. to also provide ‘hospital-at-home’ pregnancy care that could solve major issues in the U.S. healthcare system. Expanded use of remote non-stress tests (NSTs), as facilitated by INVU (which is FDA approved and already in use in the U.S.), can deliver significant benefits across cost, access, and clinical outcomes.

  • ‍Avoiding Unscheduled Emergency Room Visits: A large proportion of OB emergency department (OB-ED) visits are for routine monitoring such as NSTs (Non-Stress Tests) rather than emergent issues. Studies have shown that up to 40% of OB-ED visits are avoidable and often tied to concerns that could be addressed through remote monitoring3. By enabling patients to perform NSTs using INVU from home with real-time physician oversight, these visits can be reduced, saving both patients and hospitals time and resources4.
  • De-hospitalizing Moms for Routine NSTs (Non-Stress Tests): In many hospitals, pregnant women — especially those with high-risk conditions such as preeclampsia or fetal growth restriction — are admitted solely for daily or twice-daily NSTs. A retrospective analysis by U.S. health systems revealed that up to 25% of maternal in-patient days for high-risk pregnancies were primarily due to the need for frequent fetal monitoring5. Remote NSTs using INVU allow these mothers to receive the same level of oversight at home, improving comfort and significantly lowering hospitalization costs, which average $2,500 to $3,500 per day6.
  • Expanding Access in Rural and Underserved Areas: More than 2.2 million women in the U.S. live in maternity care deserts, defined as counties with no hospital o[ering obstetric care and no OB providers7. Remote monitoring using INVU by Nuvo addresses this gap by conveniently bringing care directly to pregnant moms regardless of their location. Early pilot programs using remote NST technology demonstrated a 30% increase in timely interventions for fetal distress and maternal hypertension, as well as higher maternal satisfaction scores, particularly among those who would otherwise need to travel long distances for care8.‍
  • Cost Reduction and Reimbursement Trends: Medicaid and private insurers are increasingly supporting telehealth and remote patient monitoring. Preliminary models show that substituting in-person NSTs with remote equivalents could reduce per-patient prenatal costs by up to $1,200, especially when integrated into value-based maternity care bundles9. Health systems piloting remote NSTs also report improved provider efficiency: a single tele-nurse can manage 3–5 times more patients than an in-hospital monitoring setup10.‍

Benefits of Ambulatory Service-Provided Spot NST Checks: Incorporating ambulatory services equipped with INVUs mobile NST capabilities provides a critical bridge between hospital care and remote monitoring. When a pregnant woman experiences symptoms or concerns, an on-the-spot INVU NST check performed by an ambulance-based team can rapidly assess fetal well-being and maternal status. This model offers several key benefits:‍

  • Rapid Response Without ER Admission: Many low-risk but concerning symptoms lead to precautionary hospital visits. Mobile NSTs using INVU can reduce unnecessary ER congestion while still providing essential diagnostic reassurance11.
  • Early Detection of Complications: Field-based NST checks enable earlier detection of fetal heart rate abnormalities or signs of preterm labor, prompting timely escalation to hospital care only when necessary.
  • Integration with Remote Care Protocols: If appropriate, a pregnant mom can be enrolled using INVU into a remote monitoring program directly from the point of contact, minimizing disruption and improving continuity of care.
  • Cost Savings and Efficiency: Reduces use of hospital transport and labor while allowing clinicians to focus on critical in-facility care. For many systems, this model can lower overall maternity costs by decreasing non-urgent ED utilization12.

Using INVU by Nuvo for remote pregnancy monitoring can enhance flexibility and safety while reinforcing the shift to patient-centered, digitally enabled prenatal care.

Call to Action

Israel is widely recognized and admired for its military capability and achievements in cybersecurity. Israel deserves an equal spotlight for groundbreaking innovation that helps “give life a better beginning”. What happens during pregnancy can affect a child’s health for the rest of their life13. A healthy pregnancy lays the foundation for a healthier life, not just for the baby, but for the mother too14.

Here is how you can help:

Amplify This Story on Social Media

Share the link to this story: www.nuvocares.com/resources/from-war-zone-to-living-rooms-israeli-innovation-redefines-pregnancy-care-at-home

Share other Sheba Beyond – Nuvo links:

Post in social media sites, start a conversation, ask a question, invite feedback:

  • Reddit: r/BabyBumps, r/Pregnant, r/Mommit
  • Facebook Groups: “Due in 2025,” “First-Time Moms,” “Pregnancy Support”
  • WhatsApp / Telegram: Local parent/mom groups

Follow, like, comment, and reshare Nuvo on:

Tag Nuvo on:

⁠Tag friends who are pregnant, work in healthcare, or care about Israeli innovation

Consider Donating to Sheba Beyond Maternity Care

  • Support the expansion of Sheba Beyond’s Maternity Care through a donation by contacting its head: Dr Avi Tsur, avi.tsur@sheba.health.gov.il

Considering Remote Pregnancy Monitoring

  • For more information about Nuvo contact Laurence Klein

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FOOTNOTES:

1 Link: https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ijgo.16148

2 Link: https://www.nuvocares.com/resources/nuvo-team-collaborators-at-smfm-2025-showcasingadvances-in-remote-pregnancy-monitoring

3 Kozhimannil, K.B., et al. (2014). "Maternal hospital-based utilization in the weeks after childbirth." Journal of Women's Health, 23(7), 587–592. Link: https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2013.4560

4 Pflugeisen, B.M., McCarren, C., Poore, S., Carlile, M., & Schroeder, R. (2016). “Virtual visits and patient centered care: Results of a patient survey and observational study.” Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 22(4), 238–242. Link: https://doi.org/10.1177/1357633X15586690

5 Smith, G.C., et al. (2011). “Indications for prolonged maternal hospitalization.” Obstetrics & Gynecology, 117(2), 398–403. Link: https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/Fulltext/2011/02000/

6 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). “Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP).” Link: https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov

7 March of Dimes. (2022). “Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the U.S.” Link: https://www.marchofdimes.org/research/maternity-care-deserts-report.aspx

8 Marko, K.I., et al. (2019). “Remote prenatal care monitoring: A prospective pilot study of maternal and fetal outcomes.” Telemedicine and e-Health, 25(6), 489–494. Link: https://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2018.0055

9 Deloitte Insights. (2020). “Digitizing pregnancy care: Using technology to improve maternal outcomes.” Link: https://www2.deloitte.com/insights/us/en/industry/health-care/technology-and-pregnancy-care.html

10 Chen, M., et al. (2022). “Telehealth monitoring for high-risk pregnancies: A review of outcomes and implementation.” JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 10(3): e25520. Link: https://mhealth.jmir.org/2022/3/e25520

11 Satpathy, H.K., et al. (2015). “Mobile health technology for pregnancy monitoring in underserved communities.” Journal of Perinatology, 35(11), 938–943.

Link: https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2015.95

12 Peterson, E., Davis, N., & Dick, A. (2021). “Community paramedicine in maternal care: Opportunities and outcomes.” Health AEairs Blog. Link: https://www.healthalairs.org/do/10.1377/forefront.20210721.479175/

13 Barker, D.J.P. (1990). The fetal and infant origins of adult disease. BMJ, 301(6761), 1111. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.301.6761.1111

14 Hanson, M.A., & Gluckman, P.D. (2014). Early developmental conditioning of later health and disease: Physiology or pathophysiology? Physiological Reviews, 94(4), 1027–1076. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00029.2013

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