May 31, 2007 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Hospital to keep obstetrics operational
by KRISTIN PAZULSKI

The obstetrics program at Chestnut Hill Hospital will remain open, Chestnut Hill Health System announced May 24.

However, the program’s financial strain on the hospital, which is what led to the obstetrics program review last month, is still an issue for hospitals across the region including Chestnut Hill, according to Patricia Bailey, surgeon and chair of the OB program review committee.

After several weeks of review, the committee developed a strategy to keep Chestnut Hill’s program open, with the only major changes being a consolidation in private physician affiliations and a relocation of some services, according to the release announcing the committee’s decision.

The midwife program — which employees six midwives and works with five midwifery practices and is unique to Chestnut Hill Hospital — will remain as it is.

Obstetrics programs throughout the region, because of the low insurance reimbursement received for services and high malpractice costs, are financial drains on smaller hospitals like Chestnut Hill. In the past 10 years, 14 area hospitals have closed obstetrics programs, severely limiting prenatal, obstetrics and postpartum care in the region.

When CHHS announced its review of the obstetrics program in early April, the fear that it would follow in the footsteps of other local hospitals brought employees, women health care advocates, fathers, mothers and children to the hospital’s front door.

At a demonstration on April 5, Brooks Turkel, CHHS chief executive officer, urged the crowd to direct their voices to the state legislators. He asked that demonstrators urge legislators to create controls on malpractice rates and strengthen OB reimbursement.

In last Thursday’s announcement, Bailey made a similar request.

“The challenges we face to maintain OB care … are significant,” Bailey said in a news release. “The Delaware Valley Healthcare Council’s OB Service Task Force Report cites that the disparity between reimbursement for obstetrics services and the cost to provide them create financial difficulties for hospitals throughout the state.

“For Chestnut Hill and other hospitals to maintain these services and continue to meet community demand, we need legislative action and support from the State of Pennsylvania, including a stabilization fund for Medicaid providers.”

Turkel said in the release that the hospital has received “significant support” from elected officials, and has “encouraged them to make the changes outlined in the DVHC Task Force report in order to protect these programs for the future.”

The report recommended that a state-funded obstetrics stabilization fund be created to “provide targeted funding to assure continued access to obstetrics services for expectant mothers and babies relying on Medicaid,” according to DVHC.

In the release, Turkel also acknowledged the support the community showed during the review.

“Judging from the overwhelming support for our program that we’ve received in recent weeks, this issue is clearly of significant importance not only to expectant mothers, but also fathers, grandmothers, families and individuals throughout the community,” Turkel said.

Contact staff writer Kristin Pazulski at 215-248-8819 or Kristin@chestnuthilllocal.com.