St. Bernardine Launches OB Hospitalist Program

St. Bernardine Medical Center has added a layer of safety for new moms who deliver at the hospital. To support this initiative, St. Bernardine has partnered with O Hospitalist Group (OBHG), the largest dedicated OB/GYN hospitalist provider in the country. This new service enhances patient safety and care by ensuring that a board certified physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology is in the hospital and immediately available at all times, 24 hours a day, seven days of the week, everyday of the year. “These highly experienced obstetricians provide care for patients who come in through our emergency department (ED) with an obstetric emergency and for those who have no physician. They also provide backup support for affiliated St. Bernardine OB/GYNs, should the need arise,” said Steven R. Barron, Dignity Health SVP operations and president of St. Bernardine Medical Center. Sometimes an obstetrician is already delivering another baby at the hospital, or perhaps just tied up in traffic. Having an OB/GYN hospitalist program at St. Bernardine means pregnant women can be confident an experienced obstetrician will be delivering her baby, even if her own physician can’t be present. Among the patients who have benefited from this new service is Sherri Ford, whose water broke six weeks prior to the due date of her twins. When she arrived at St. Bernardine’s ED, her doctor wasn’t on call so she was taken to the hospital’s new 24-hour Obstetric ED (OBED). “I was worried because one of the babies was in a breech position and the contractions were coming very fast.” A short time later, Tam Le, MD, a member of the OBHG team, delivered healthy babies, Jeremy and Jocelyn. “I was pretty scared but Dr. Le was great. After he told me about his background and history of delivering babies, I felt at ease,” Ford added. In addition to board certification, Dr. Le and his OBHG team members have received special training in advanced fetal monitoring, risk management, operative delivery, coding and compliance and advanced cardiac life support. Through the OB hospitalist program, additional safety mechanisms include 24/7 on-site OB/GYN physician coverage; consistent care for unassigned or uninsured patients, rapid response for emergency care and quicker consults for gynecological emergencies in the ED or surgery. “This new service underscores St. Bernardine’s commitment to quality in our maternal care program,” said Barron. “Our OBED improves patient access to specialist care and enhances patient safety and outcomes,” Barron concluded.