GREENVILLE, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ob Hospitalist Group (OBHG), the nation’s largest and only dedicated provider of customized obstetric (OB) hospitalist programs, today announced an initiative to improve access to maternal health care services in “hard-to-reach” rural and urban locations with gaps in maternity care.
The initiative, OBHG’s Maternal Health Access Solutions, will expand health services to more women by enabling hospitals to bolster access to maternity care and improve outcomes. As the U.S. struggles with maternal mortality and a health crisis that has only intensified with the COVID-19 pandemic, OBHG’s Maternal Health Access Solutions bridges gaps in care by providing care from experienced OB/GYN clinicians.
Drawn from OBHG’s experience and success working with more than 200 hospital partners of all sizes, these solutions are distinct from OBHG’s core OB hospitalist model and include community OB/GYN clinic staffing, coverage by Certified Nurse Midwives, family practitioners, or other clinicians, and telemedicine options. Each hospital’s solution is custom designed to target specific areas aimed at impacting maternal care outcomes. OBHG’s Maternal Health Access Solutions helps relieve short- and long-term staffing stressors at hospitals, supports community providers and prevents patients from needing to leave their community for care due to inadequate availability.
“Over the last several years, OBHG has increasingly been approached by hospitals looking for coverage solutions outside our traditional hospitalist model,” says Lenny Castiglione, chief executive officer, Ob Hospitalist Group. “These hospitals need innovative options to support their staff and keep their maternal services open. While our traditional full-time and part-time OB hospitalist models will be the right fit for many hospitals, some hospitals need something different, and we are excited to bring these alternative options to communities and hospitals with maternity care challenges. For some hospitals, a telehealth solution may be the best approach, while another may have the greatest need for part-time labor and delivery coverage or help in an OB/GYN clinic.”
According to the March of Dimes, more than 4.8 million women of childbearing age in the U.S. live in counties with limited access to maternity care. Without access to convenient, quality maternal care, women are at risk of serious health complications and face a greater chance of preterm birth and obstetrical complications. A key focus of OBHG’s Maternal Health Access Solutions is bringing care to communities so that women don’t have to travel great distances for maternal care.
Nationwide, 53 rural counties lost obstetrics care from 2014 through 2018, according to a 2020 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. By enabling obstetricians and other professionals trained in an obstetrics setting to travel to hard-to-reach locations, the OBHG effort helps local providers keep their obstetrics units staffed, a challenge that has worsened during the last two years of the pandemic.
“This evolution in care delivery is part of our core mission to elevate care and improve outcomes for pregnant women,” said OBHG Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mark Simon. “We are focused on bringing care right to the patient in regions of greatest need. Providing this level of care enables women to remain within their community for care and bolsters the longevity and vitality of these communities.”
If you are interested in a consultation about OBHG’s Maternal Health Access Solutions, please visit www.obhg.com/maternalhealthaccesssolutions/
About Ob Hospitalist Group
Ob Hospitalist Group (OBHG) is the nation’s largest and only dedicated provider of customized women’s health solutions, focused on improving access to care and ensuring all women receive timely, unconditional obstetric care. Our team partners with hospitals across the nation to improve maternal safety and outcomes and reduce physician burnout. As part of our dedicated women’s health focus, we ensure that every pregnant woman presenting to labor and delivery with unscheduled medical needs receives timely, expert care from a skilled clinician. Our 1,000+ clinicians partner closely with local OB/GYN physicians, providing collaborative, non-competitive support. Together, we deliver great patient care and clinicians passionate about their role in caring for pregnant women. OBHG is headquartered in Greenville, SC. For more information, visit www.OBHG.com.
