Amanda Wilde (Host): FirstHealth of the Carolinas has launched a new obstetrics hospitalist program designed to enhance the care and support provided to laboring moms at Moore Regional Hospital. The OB-GYN specialists are a specialized team that makes sure no laboring moms are without obstetrics care, and they're available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. OB hospitalist, Dr. Tamara Meekins is here to discuss these services and their effect on the community.

Welcome to the FirstHealth and Wellness Podcast, connecting you to the people and medical services that make your life healthier. I'm Amanda Wilde. Dr. Meekins, welcome and thank you for being here.

Tamara Meekins, MD: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Host: Can you explain, first of all, what is the difference between an OB hospitalist and an OB-GYN in an outpatient clinic setting?

Tamara Meekins, MD: Sure. An OB hospitalist is essentially an OB-GYN that particularly focuses on care of the patient in the hospital setting. They have the same skills as a general OB-GYN. But they do not operate in the clinic setting anymore, primarily on the hospital.

Host: And when would you need an OB hospitalist?

Tamara Meekins, MD: Most hospitals transition to a hospital's program when they assess the need that their volume is increasing. It makes it really hard for general OB-GYNs to be in the clinic setting, seeing patients and be able to provide obstetric service care in the hospital if they have a large patient load. So, decreasing the burden of the physician running back and forth from the clinic to the hospital to deliver babies or perform emergency surgeries, having to cancel patient appointments has really kind of drove this shift towards a hospitalist role..

Host: What services does an OB Hospitalist provide? You said it's really equivalent to OB-GYN, just in a different setting. Are there additional services that would lead someone in that direction of OB Hospitalist? 

Tamara Meekins, MD: Yes. So, general OB-GYNs and hospitalists have the same skill set, same training. The main difference is the way that the hospitalist works. So, they are only providing care in the hospital setting. They treat emergency medical problems that a woman can face throughout the course of her life, whether it's heavy bleeding from fibroids, pelvic infections, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancies or ovarian torsions, or bleeding in the abdomen related to ruptured cysts. They also manage laboring patients.

Our hospital's program in particular takes care of patients who are not established with a physician that works at the hospital. So if their doctor works at another hospital, then the hospitalist will see that patient while they're in labor and deliver their baby, and then they would go and follow up with their physician after they're discharged from the hospital.

Host: Well, that's part of the goal you have is to make sure no laboring moms are without obstetrics care. How do you do that?

Tamara Meekins, MD: Yes, the biggest drive to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality related to someone either not having a provider during their pregnancy or not receiving care. Our primary care for their delivery is to have somebody in the hospital 24 hours a day, seven days a week that can respond to any emergencies or any patient who comes in in Labor.

We work alongside with the general OB-GYNs in the community, and they see their patients as well, but we are also there to provide any backup coverage that they might need. Or if they are tied up in another delivery, we can assist with delivering their patient. And then, we also provide those services for patients who don't have a doctor in the hospital.

Host: So, really a strong safety net for all kinds of moms and complications or easy labors and everything in between.

Tamara Meekins, MD: Yes.

Host: Now, you opened in March of 2024. What differences or successes have you seen so far in this in the launch of this program?

Tamara Meekins, MD: We've gotten very positive feedback about the coverage that we've been able to provide for the hospital. I think that's one of the biggest differences that we've seen is now there is consistent physician coverage 24 hours a day. It really eases the patient's mind and gives the hospital peace of mind that if anything were to happen, there's always someone there that can respond, whether it's an emergency or just normal labor. It also makes it nice for the private practice group that there is built-in support that's in the hospital 24 hours a day. So, they have a large practice and a large patient load and it's just not possible to be in two places at once. So, we really have a symbiotic relationship where we can help each other in that manner.

Host: How do you see your team working together in the future as I'm imagining this patient load will continue to increase over time?

Tamara Meekins, MD: I see our team expanding. And since the inception of the program, we have already expanded the hospitalist services to add on a midwife and a nurse practitioner. Because the volume is such that it just demands that we are able to provide these services and we have that support built-in. So as we see more and more patients coming to the hospital and we are developing a new women's center that should open in a couple of years, that's going to draw more people to our area, and we're prepared.

Host: So, I hear consistency, great coverage, and community service and peace of mind both for doctors and for laboring moms.

Tamara Meekins, MD: Oh, yes.

Host: Well, thank you so much for explaining this program, Dr. Meekins, and I wish you much success in the future.

Tamara Meekins, MD: Thank you so much.

Host: That was OB hospitalist, Dr. Tamara Meekins. To learn more about labor and delivery care at FirstHealth, visit firsthealth.org/women. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and you can check out the full podcast library for other topics of interest to you. Thank you for listening to FirstHealth and Wellness Podcast brought to you by FirstHealth of the Carolinas. We look forward to you joining us again.