The Deacon's Bench
A southwestern Pennsylvania hospital will stop delivering babies after March 31 because its obstetricians are either leaving or refocusing their practices, and because hospital officials believe they can’t afford it based on projected reimbursements under looming federal health care reforms.
The Windber Medical Center, about 60 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, is losing two obstetricians and two others are shifting their focus more to gynecology.
Hospital officials say the population of women of child-bearing age is dropping and that the number of births the hospital would be called upon to perform isn’t enough for it to provide the service in the face of lower reimbursements under the federal Affordable Care Act.
The Daily American has additional details:
The decision was based largely on the loss of four obstetricians. Drs. Amy Anderson and Pradeep Kulkarni have decided to no longer offer obstetric services and will instead focus on gynecological services, hospital public relations director Kim Oleksa said. Two other obstetricians, Dr. Canan Sahin-Kandemir and Dr. William Walker, are relocating. Sahin-Kandemir’s last day is March 31…
..The hospital also cited industry trends and projected reimbursements under the Affordable Care Act that would make the practice of obstetrics “only practical where there is a high volume of deliveries.” Windber Medical Center delivered more than 200 babies in 2012.
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