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Hospital hopes for at least 40 babies a month
LRMC 1
Liberty Regional Medical Center - photo by Courier file photo
The 40th baby born each month at Liberty Regional Medical Center will soon mark periodic milestones for the hospital, as it implements a campaign to change public perception that the obstetrics unit is not financially viable.
The Hospital Authority of Liberty County heard plans at Wednesday’s meeting for the 40th baby celebration, which would take place at the end of each month.
According to LRMC officials, the obstetrics unit will be gainful if it can deliver 40 babies per month.
“I think one of the myths of OB is it’s not viable financially,” LMRC CEO Scott Kroell said. “We believe that with at least 40 babies, that infrastructure is in place for it to be financially viable.”
The project comes during a time when many hospitals are giving up labor and delivery programs because of lost dollars from the rising number of uninsured patients.
Russ Toal, associate professor with the Georgia Institute of Public Health at Georgia State University, said most of the hospitals suffering losses are rural and don’t have sufficient volume or adequate medical personnel to provide obstetric and neonatal care.
“Most of them have a very low number of deliveries, and you really need to have a certain number to deliver that kind of service.” Toal said.
Also during Wednesday’s meeting, LRMC Chief Nursing Officer Donna Cochrane gave a progress report regarding the hospital’s ongoing effort to revamp its customer service division. According to Cochrane, customer service associates will make sure patients understand their care is LRMC’s top priority.
“The way we want to see an improvement is patient satisfaction,” Cochrane said. “It’s an internal measure to improve what we’re doing.”
The hopsitals 150 nursing staff members have already begun the customer service education program, and Cochrane said she’s looking forward to implementing the new system.
“All of it is going to be aimed at improving the customer’s experience, from the time they come in the door to the
times they leave,” Cochrane said.
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