Author: Cynthia Shaff-Chin, M.D
Patients who are expanding their families often want choices. They want highly personalized prenatal and delivery care, support from a wide range of maternity experts, assurances that their personal doctor will be there during delivery, and an ongoing relationship with their physician after the baby is born.
One of the hallmarks of being a family medicine physician who provides family-centered care is that we take care of pregnant patients, deliver babies, care for newborns, and follow families throughout their lives.
This model of care provides several benefits for our patients:
Support for birthing choices
PMG’s family medicine doctors support whatever birthing choices their patients prefer.
We work with our patients to support an unmedicated delivery whenever possible, if that is their preference. We also are happy to work with doulas as well as specialists to support the needs of our patients. When the pregnancy is high risk or complications occur, we work closely with our colleagues in obstetrics, perinatology and neonatal intensive care. Our patients have access to pain management, labor induction and C-section services as needed.
Commitment to patient deliveries
Our patients develop a relationship with their doctor during pregnancy and want to have a familiar provider deliver their baby. Being able to provide this is the “crown jewel” of our services.
Our doctors take great pleasure and pride in being available to our patients even when they are not on call. This means most pregnant patients’ babies are delivered by their own doctor. During the occasional time that the primary physician is not available, the delivery will be performed by a colleague.
Yes, this means longer hours of nights and weekends for all of us, but we love caring for our pregnant patients. We really value the continuity of care that involves attending the deliveries of the patients we know so well.
Convenient family-centered care
Under the family-centered maternity care model, multiple health care needs for the entire family – siblings, parents and grandparents – can be met in one location, with the provider knowing and understanding the entire family’s circumstances and needs. We often provide care for the entire family during scheduled consecutive visits.
Medical home model
Our patients benefit from the patient-centered medical home model, in which embedded RNs, behaviorists, pharmacists and care managers ensure all needs are being addressed in a team- based approach.
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We are honored that so many of our patients appreciate their experience and refer their friends and coworkers to us for pregnancy care.
There are 11 Providence Medical Group family medicine clinics that offer family-centered maternity care: More info here
Patients are encouraged to select whichever clinic best suits their needs and to contact the clinic directly to make an appointment. Contact information is included in the link.
Cynthia Shaff-Chin, M.D., is a family medicine physician at Providence Medical Group - Glisan.
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