In an era of intensified competition due to the expansion of managed care, obstetrics patients, with most of their families lucrative patient care ahead of them, are becoming increasingly valued customers.
Some hospitals even serve new parents a candlelit steak dinner as a farewell.
But truly progressive hospitals know that while the sizzle may sell, what really benefits a patient is a high level of care. This includes staffing that allows every woman to have one nurse exclusively throughout labor. Or cross-training for nurses, that is, training them in all facets of maternity, from labor and delivery to infant care. In case you didn t notice there have been a lot of changes in your local maternity center. As it happens, they don t refer to the same things.