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Featured blog post: What the field has to say about OB hospitalist programs

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, October 20, 2009

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The HospitalistLeadership.com Blog interviewed members of two OB hospitalist programs about the business model and how it differs from the traditional hospitalist model. Read on to hear what Rob Olson, MD, an OB hospitalist practicing in Spokane, WA, and Susan Rutherford, medical director of Women and Children’s Services and Evergeen Healthcare in Kirkland, WA, have to say.

HospitalistLeadership.com: How is operating an OB hospitalist program different than a traditional internal medicine hospitalist program? Are there any special considerations?

Rob Olson, MD: There are many similarities in all hospitalist programs. The differences between internal medicine (and for that matter, pediatric) hospitalists and OB hospitalists are that OB hospitalists perform surgery, have more urgent and emergency patients, have more consultations from family practitioners and midwives, and overall request fewer consultations from other specialists.

Susan Rutherford: OB hospitalist programs are different because availability for emergencies is the highest importance. Although the internal medicine hospitalists could be tied up performing procedures, I think they are not as likely to be completely unable to break free, such as OB or OB/Gyn hospitalists are when they are in surgery.

Read more of this interview by Liz Jones, associate editor at HCPro, at HospitalistLeadership.com.

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