At Kaiser Permanente, the decision of how long a mother and her newborn baby stay in the hospital is made by the physician in consultation with the mother, based solely on what is medically appropriate for the mother and child. No authorization is needed to extend the stay. If there is a medical reason to extend the stay, our physicians decide with patients when discharge is appropriate. As a health care provider responsible for quality care for nearly 80,000 births annually, we have the experience and the data to demonstrate that having a baby at Kaiser Permanente is a safe and satisfying event. Many mothers and newborns can leave the hospital within 24 hours from birth.
Many women prefer the comfort of home, away from the noise and disruptions of the hospital.
Physicians have no incentive for discharging before it is safe. Our physicians are salaried. Their compensation is not affected by shortening the postpartum stay. Click here to learn more about Permanente Medicine. Recently I've heard a great deal about HMO drug formularies that restrict patients' access to necessary pharmaceuticals.