Creating an OB hospitalist program

[Transcript edited for clarity]

John Stanley, MD:

I'm John Stanley, MD. I'm a maternal-fetal medicine specialist. We have a private practice group, the Perinatal Center. We have offices in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Rogers, Arkansas.

Contemporary OB/GYN:

Can you recap your session at the 2023 Society of OB/GYN Hospitalists Annual Clinical Meeting?

Stanley:

I was asked to speak about the interaction and starting a hospitalist group. And as a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, and the interaction between maternal-fetal medicine and ob-gyn hospitalist. I always say that I became a maternal-fetal medicine specialist because I get the joy in taking part in the care of 2 people. I mean, I take care of a mother and I take care of a fetus. And over time, we've kind of evolved to the point that maternal-fetal medicine tends to be more the specialist in taking care of the pregnancy and the fetus, with less emphasis on taking care of the mother during delivery. Taking care of the mother antepartum a lot, but not much as far as delivery goes. And that's, I think, because we've become busier and busier taking care of pregnant women and their babies and the fetus and don't have enough time to actually do the deliveries and take care of the women in labor.

Contemporary OB/GYN:

What were the biggest takeaways from your presentation?

Stanley:

Well, I hope that my maternal-fetal medicine colleagues walk away with the respect for the hospitalist. I think that in some ways, the hospitalists become kind of a dumping ground and what I've seen here at the Society of OB/GYN Hospitalists is much like maternal-fetal medicine used to be, a small group that was really purpose-driven. And I think that there's a specialty in and of itself and in taking care of pregnant women in the hospital is really short.