Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and Tennova Healthcare – Clarksville have partnered to launch OB-GYN Hospitalist programme.
The on-site initiative, expected to start in mid-September this year, will cater to the needs of expectant women in Clarksville, Montgomery County and nearby areas.
It promises round-the-clock quality care during labour and delivery. It will help supervise a patient’s obstetric care until the obstetrician concerned takes over.
The programme will also come to the rescue of patients during obstetrics and gynaecology emergencies.
As part of the programme, a team of OB-GYN hospitalists will work in Tennova Healthcare – Clarksville’s Family Birth Center.
Six to eight certified obstetrician/gynaecologists from VUMC will discharge duty as OB-GYN hospitalists at the Clarksville hospital. Obstetrician/gynaecologist William McIntosh will head the team.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology chair Ronald Alvarez said: “This puts our board-certified physicians on-site, working alongside the (Clarksville) hospital’s physicians and nursing team, to provide exceptional, accessible care for expectant women until their obstetrician arrives.”
“The programme offers expectant patients and their family members the peace of mind of knowing a specialist is always ready to provide care, no matter what the circumstance.
“This service will also complement the Level II neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Tennova Healthcare – Clarksville which is staffed by neonatology physicians and neonatal nurse practitioners provided by Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.”
VUMC deputy CEO and chief health system officer C Wright Pinson said: “The OB-GYN hospitalists’ presence will allow them (families) to easily support and collaborate with nurses and other clinical staff in the Family Birth Center and respond to any obstetrical emergency.
“This will help reduce risk and make care more accessible as we all work together to provide the very best, patient-centred care.”
