If you’re a hospital leader, you know firsthand how difficult it is to balance the promise of better maternal care with the practical realities of running a hospital.
An OB hospitalist program can be transformational—for patient safety, physician wellbeing, and your bottom line. But then comes the big question: Do we try to build this ourselves, or should we bring in a partner like OBHG?
On the surface, doing it yourself might look less expensive and more in your control. But as with so many things in healthcare, what you don’t see on day one can end up being the real challenge.
The appeal of doing it yourself
There are good reasons why many hospitals consider building their own OB hospitalist program:
- Control: You set the rules, the protocols, the schedules. Everything is on your terms.
- Integration: Your program runs on your systems and within your culture. No outside partner to align with.
- Familiarity: Your physicians, nurses, and leaders know the players, and patients see familiar faces.
The hidden costs that can catch you off guard
But here’s the truth many hospitals discover later: running an OB hospitalist program is far more than creating a schedule and hiring a few doctors.
- Recruitment and retention are exhausting. Finding experienced OB/GYN and CNMs who thrive in high-acuity, unpredictable environments is tough. Keeping them happy and balanced is even tougher.
- Coverage never takes a day off. Nights, weekends, vacations, sick days—you’re on the hook for it all. A single unexpected resignation can throw the whole system into crisis.
- Training and readiness eat up resources. Regular simulations, emergency drills, and credentialing updates don’t run themselves. Someone has to own them.
- Financial surprises add up. Salaries, locums to cover gaps, malpractice exposure, overtime pay—the costs pile on quickly and often unpredictably.
- Leadership distraction. Every hour you spend managing hospitalist staffing or troubleshooting a schedule is an hour taken away from broader strategic priorities.
What often starts out looking like a cost savings can morph into a drain on time, money, and energy.
“Maybe it seems a little cheaper, but that doesn’t account for all of the realities, all of the risks, all the sweat and tears of the administrative staff and leadership trying to ensure the call schedule is filled and the patient are taken care of.” – Dr. Mark Olszyk, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President, Carroll Hospital.
How partnering with OBHG shifts the burden
OBHG exists for one reason: to make sure hospitals have reliable, high-quality obstetric coverage around the clock. It’s all we do.
- Proven stability. We bring in OB/GYN hospitalists who are dedicated to this model of care—and we handle the recruiting, retention, and scheduling.
- Less burnout for your community OBs. Local doctors get to step off the 24/7 call treadmill, improving satisfaction and longevity in your community.
- A culture of safety. We support ongoing training, simulations, and standardized protocols so your teams are always ready for the unexpected.
- Predictable partnership. Instead of hidden costs, you get a transparent agreement and a trusted partner who’s accountable to shared goals.
- More time back. Your leaders can focus on big-picture strategy, growth, and patient experience—while OBHG takes care of the daily grind of running the program.
The bottom line for hospital leaders
At the end of the day, this isn’t just about costs or control. It’s about people. It’s about the mother who walks into your hospital at 2 a.m. in crisis. It’s about the OB in your community who wants to keep practicing medicine without sacrificing their family life. And it’s about you—having the peace of mind that the right team is always there when they’re needed most.
Building an OB hospitalist program on your own can work, but it often comes with challenges that only reveal themselves once you’re deep into it.
Partnering with OBHG means you don’t have to shoulder those burdens alone. You gain a team that lives and breathes obstetric hospital medicine, and you give your hospital, your staff, and your patients the gift of stability and safety.
Connect with our team to learn more.