Becker's Hospital Review

39 The Obstetrics-Emergency Department In and of itself, this is relatively expensive; how- ever, Ms. Nelson advises if a hospital's delivery volume is more than 1,200 infants per year, an OB-hospitalist program will most likely pay for itself with revenue coming in from facilities. In regards to staffing, an OB-ED program re- quires round-the-clock physician coverage as well as at least one specialized labor nurse, which most ED triage units already have in place. Other than OB physician coverage, an OB-ED requires very little increase in resources, no construction and no capital investment. In fact, most OB-EDs can be created in the same space hospitals use for labor and delivery triage, says Ms. Nelson. "Hospitals need expertise and planning to con- vert triage to an OB-ED setting," cautions Ms. Nelson, noting specialty EDs are a relatively new concept and do not yet have formalized guide- lines for hospitals to meet. State departments of public health still expect a combination of ED and OB guidelines to be met, however. Streamlin- ing the process are companies like TeamHealth. "Because there are no specific guidelines for specialty EDs, that's where TeamHealth can be of value," says Ms. Nelson. "TeamHealth has the knowledge to work with experts and identify in each state what guidelines will be, so hospitals can more efficiently redesign their standard of care for labor and delivery emergencies." To Ms. Nelson, the OB-ED makes sense. "In the labor and deliv- ery triage model, the door-to-disposition time is six hours. In an OB-ED, it's two hours, which includes higher quality care, higher satisfaction and always seeing a physician," she adds. n Having round-the-clock support from a board-certified obstetrician also increases nurse satisfaction, which results in nursing retention. TeamHealth is one of the largest providers of outsourced physician staffing solutions for hospitals in the United States. Through its 18 regional locations and multiple service lines, TeamHealth's more than 9,700 affiliated healthcare professionals provide emergency medicine, hospital medicine, anesthesia, urgent care, specialty hospitalist and pediatric staffing and management services to more than 860 civilian and military hospitals, clinics, and physician groups in 46 states. 5 Hospitals With Obstetrics Emergency departments Here are five hospitals and health systems across the country that operate obstetric EDs: • Baptist for Women (Jackson, Miss.) • Christ Hospital (Jersey City, N.J.) • Halifax Health (Daytona Beach, Fla.) • Hoboken (N.J.) University Medical Center • PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center (Bellingham, Wash.)

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