Obstetric Hospitalist Program
Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center is proud to be the first in Boise to offer an OB Hospitalist program. This is a special program to provide 24/7 hospital care for obstetric patients at our Boise Maternity Center. Each of our OB Hospitalist's are a board-certified obstetrician who oversees care for all patients admitted to Family Maternity Center.
What is the OB Hospitalist Program?
It is a special program to provide 24/7 hospital care for obstetric patients. The OB Hospitalist is a board-certified obstetrician who oversees care for all patients admitted to Family Maternity Center at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise. They are dedicated to hospital care.
The OB hospitalist may care for you during your labor if there is an emergency and your provider is not immediately available. They may also help if your provider needs an assistant for your delivery or cesarean section. If you are hospitalized during your pregnancy for a complication, you may be cared for by one or more of the OB Hospitalists.
Who can use the OB Hospitalist's services?
Any obstetric patient in the Family Maternity Center can utilize the OB Hospitalist's services. The OB Hospitalist is available at any time to assist in your care. Your provider may request that the OB Hospitalist be involved in your care depending upon your specific situation.
What do OB Hospitalists do?
- Care for hospitalized pregnant patients
- Care of pregnant patients in labor who do not have a doctor or whose doctor or midwife does not work at this hospital
- L & D triage (initial assessment) for pregnant women when they first arrive on L & D
- Provide OB consultations on the other floors of the hospital and the Emergency Department
- Provide L & D support: interpretation of fetal monitoring strips, perform procedures such as sonograms and internal monitor placement, monitoring of laboring patients for staff OBs and Midwives when they are in the clinic or in need of back up
- Function as extenders for the Maternal-Fetal Medicine physician
- Leader of the OB Rapid Response Team
- Surgical assist for staff OBs
- Help put into practice quality metrics and evidence-based medicine
How are OB hospitalists different from other OB/GYNs?
- OB Hospitalists do not have a private practice and practice solely in a hospital setting
- OB Hospitalists are experts in emergency care for pregnant women
- OB Hospitalists are involved in patient safety initiatives, quality improvement and the development of performance metrics
- OB Hospitalists provide support to all providers in the department including physicians, midwives, and nurses
- OB Hospitalists provide backup coverage for obstetric providers, enabling these providers to have an improved work-life balance and improved operational efficiency in the office. This coverage does not create competition for private practitioners since hospitalists do not have a private practice into which these patients can transfer
- OB Hospitalists provide 24/7 care for high-risk maternal-fetal transport patients and can serve as maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) physician extenders
- OB Hospitalists provide support and mentorship to midwives, L & D nurses, residents and medical students by virtue of being a provider with high clinical experience and skill. They also serve as liaisons between providers and hospital administrators by virtue of their departmental focus and hospital-based practice