User profile: awpobgyn

Respectfully we feel that we must reply regarding our Platinum Mommies service at A Woman's Place Ob/Gyn. The current practice standard for most OB's is to deliver anywhere from 20-30 patients each month per physician. When pregnant patients call the office with problems/concerns, if the office is too full to fit them in or is closed, patients are often directed to go to the hospital. Many times this occurs because an "on call" doctor is covering their doctor, their doctor is busy seeing other patients or is away at another hospital delivering a baby. This can lead to long waits in the ER or L&D with multiple tests being performed sometimes unnecessarily. We offer direct access to us via our cell phone with as many visits as patients feel are needed. We save families wasted time in a hospital and concerns are addressed immediately either by talking over the phone or by bringing them to the office and if the office is closed we open the office after hours. For patients who are uninsured the cost of an unnecessary hospital visit would be much more than our fee. Yes we have thrown in extras such as a ride from the hospital in a limousine, 3D/4D Ultrasounds and routine ultrasounds at every visit, but this is only to make their experience more memorable and exciting because as women we feel pregnant women deserve a special experience. We have an electronic medical record with 24 hour access to it with the ability to send their records at any time to any hospital (most importantly, we already know all our individual patient's history), there are several visits with a personal trainer who develops an exercise and diet plan for each patient and in-home massages are included because we believe in the benefits of massage therapy for pregnant women. By having a maximum of 5 patients each month who will deliver, we are able to spend 30 minutes or more with every patient at each visit, we have time to evaluate their mental health and discuss any and all concerns as it relates to the pregnancy or otherwise. Many OB's are seeing so many patients that they don't have this amount of time because they are constantly running out of the office or returning to the office from deliveries. It is also distressing as a doctor when you are delivering at one hospital and you are called for an emergency delivery at another and a "Good Samaritan" doctor ends up performing your patient's emergency delivery or cesarean, and hopefully one is available! Are we making more money? No. We have significantly less patients. There are others who charge as much as $10,000- $20,000 for similar services. Most of our Platinum Mommies are from middle class families that have made the decision to invest in their care because of dissatisfaction with the current healthcare delivery system and the strong desire to have their doctor available to them for the delivery. This message is approved by Dr.'s Burns, Docasar and Keller.