The National Institutes of Health has awarded nearly $700,000 to a researcher at LA BioMed to improve screening in newborn babies at risk of congenital heart disease.

Dr. Rie Sakai-Bizmark, a researcher at the research institute based in Torrance, on June 21 announced the $688,013 grant from the NIH to evaluate how U.S. hospital birthing centers can improve baby screenings.

“Understanding obstacles to screenings and accurate diagnosis can help save the lives of hundreds of newborns each year,” said Sakai-Bizmark, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

“As a physician and a mother, I believe it’s critically important to ensure every baby born in the U.S. is properly screened for heart disease.”

Hundreds of babies die each year from undiagnosed critical congenital heart disease, according to LA BioMed. A quarter of them are discharged from hospitals without a diagnosis, and about 40 percent die because of a late or missed diagnosis.

Health business reporter Dana Bartholomew can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @_DanaBart.