A growing number of hospitals are launching dedicated obstetric emergency departments (OBEDs) to close a critical gap between the general ED and labor and delivery. Here’s why hospital leaders are making the investment.

Every day, pregnant women walk into hospital emergency departments with urgent concerns: bleeding, elevated blood pressure, decreased fetal movement, preterm contractions. In a traditional care model, these patients enter the same triage queue as every other ED patient, waiting to be seen by clinicians who may not specialize in obstetrics. For conditions where minutes matter, that gap between arrival and specialized evaluation is a risk hospital leaders can no longer afford to accept.

A recent Catholic Health World article profiled several Catholic health systems that have opened OBEDs, and their experiences offer a clear picture of the clinical, operational, and mission-driven case for this model. At OBHG, we have been at the forefront of this movement since launching what is believed to be the first OBED in Florida in 2007. Today, OBHG operates more than 170 OBEDs nationwide. The model works, and the momentum is building for good reason.

The problem OBEDs solve

When a pregnant patient presents to a general ED, several things happen that introduce delays and risk. Emergency physicians evaluate a broad spectrum of conditions, and obstetric emergencies are a small fraction of their daily caseload. Diagnostic protocols may not be optimized for pregnancy-specific conditions. And the physical environment, designed for trauma, cardiac events, and medical emergencies of all types, is not built to support the unique needs of a laboring or acutely ill pregnant patient.

An OBED changes that equation entirely. Located in a dedicated space, typically adjacent to or near the labor and delivery unit, the OBED is staffed around the clock by OB/GYN hospitalists and specialty-trained nurses. Patients presenting with pregnancy-related concerns are routed directly to clinicians with deep expertise in conditions like preeclampsia, placental abruption, preterm labor, and ruptured membranes. There is no handoff delay, no waiting for an on-call obstetrician to arrive from home or office. The specialist is already there.

What hospital leaders are seeing in practice

The Catholic Health World article highlighted experiences across multiple health systems, and several themes emerged that align with what OBHG sees across our national network.

Faster, more appropriate triage. Mercy Hospital St. Louis and Mercy Hospital South, both in suburban St. Louis, handled more than 17,000 visits in their OBEDs within roughly a year of opening in March 2025. That volume reflects a real demand: pregnant patients who previously cycled through the general ED are now getting specialized evaluation from the start, in an environment designed for them.

Improved clinician well-being and sustainability. At Mercy Health St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima, Ohio, a rural community where surrounding hospitals have closed their OB units, the OBED model has improved work-life balance for obstetricians. Private-practice OB/GYNs are only notified when a patient requires admission, rather than fielding every triage call. That distinction matters in an era when OB/GYN burnout and workforce shortages are accelerating the closure of labor and delivery units across the country.

Mission alignment in faith-based systems. For Catholic hospitals, the OBED model is a natural extension of their commitment to protecting the dignity of mother and child. One hospital leader quoted in the article described the OBED as providing around-the-clock access to specialized obstetricians in a dedicated space, fulfilling the mission to offer compassionate care when families need it most. When the nearest alternative may be miles away, especially in rural or underserved communities, this investment becomes an expression of institutional values.

A response to crisis-level maternal health data. St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi opened its OBED in a state with the nation’s highest infant mortality rate and highest rate of preterm births. In August 2024, Mississippi declared a public health emergency over its infant mortality rate, which had reached its highest point in a decade. An OBED does not solve systemic barriers to prenatal care, but it does ensure that when a pregnant patient reaches the hospital, the response is immediate and specialized.

The safety layer OBEDs add to inpatient obstetric services

Hospital leaders often think of the OBED as a standalone unit, but its real value is as an integrated safety layer that strengthens the entire obstetric service line.

Consider the flow of care. A patient arrives at the hospital with an acute obstetric complaint. In a traditional model, she enters the general ED, waits, gets an initial assessment from a non-OB provider, then gets transferred to L&D if her condition warrants it. Every transition is a potential point of delay, miscommunication, or missed clinical cues.

In the OBED model, that patient is immediately evaluated by an OB/GYN hospitalist in a space equipped and staffed for exactly her clinical scenario. If she needs to be admitted to L&D, the transition is seamless because the clinicians managing the OBED are the same team, or part of the same program, managing the inpatient unit. If she can be safely discharged with follow-up instructions, that happens without consuming L&D bed capacity or nursing resources.

This integration creates several compounding benefits for hospitals:

• Reduced decision-to-delivery intervals. When an emergent cesarean section or operative delivery is needed, the OB hospitalist is already present and has already evaluated the patient. There is no delay waiting for a physician to travel to the hospital.
• Reduced liability exposure. Delayed diagnosis and treatment of obstetric emergencies is one of the most common drivers of malpractice claims in women’s health. Having a board-certified OB/GYN evaluate every urgent presentation from the point of arrival reduces that exposure.
• Protected L&D capacity. Not every patient who presents with an obstetric concern requires admission. The OBED serves as an appropriate filter, ensuring that L&D beds and nursing staff are available for patients who truly need inpatient care.
• Improved patient experience. Pregnant patients report feeling more comfortable and better cared for in a dedicated space than in a general ED. That matters for patient satisfaction scores, community reputation, and the likelihood that patients choose your hospital for future care.

The evidence base is growing

A 2024 article in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology noted the rise of OBEDs over the past two decades and acknowledged that the first is believed to have been launched by OBHG. The authors concluded that safe, high-quality, and financially sustainable care for pregnant patients is elevated in a specialty-specific OBED, and they anticipate continued growth of the model across the country.

That trajectory matches what we see in our own data and partnerships. Hospitals that implement OBEDs consistently report reduced wait times, faster clinical responses, improved patient satisfaction, and stronger OB/GYN recruitment and retention.

What it takes to get started

Launching an OBED is not a minor operational decision. It requires dedicated physical space, 24/7 OB/GYN hospitalist coverage, specialty-trained nursing staff, and integration with your existing L&D workflows and IT systems. The financial model needs to account for facility fees, professional fees, and the downstream revenue impact of capturing patients who might otherwise bypass your hospital.

This is where partnership matters. With more than 170 OBEDs in operation, OBHG has unmatched depth in designing, launching, and scaling obstetric emergency care. We bring not only the clinical workforce, but also the operational playbook, training programs, compliance frameworks, and data infrastructure that hospitals need to make this model work from day one.

The bottom line for hospital leaders

The OBED is not a trend. It is a structural response to a structural problem: pregnant patients deserve immediate access to specialized emergency obstetric care, and the traditional ED-to-L&D pathway introduces avoidable risk.

If your hospital delivers babies, the question is not whether your obstetric patients will present with emergencies. They will. The question is whether your care model is designed to meet them with the right clinician, in the right setting, at the right time.

If you are exploring an OBED for your hospital, contact OBHG to learn how our team can help you design, staff, and operate an obstetric emergency department that strengthens your maternal safety program and your women’s health service line.