Return On Investment: Businesses rise and fall on their bottom line.

Hospitals today are pressed more than ever to improve performance, satisfy a dynamic patient demographic and drive increased profitability. As a result, administrators are continually searching for affordable solutions to satisfy critical business objectives while remaining competitive in the fast-paced healthcare marketplace.

Hospitals administrators are more strategic than ever in how they invest their funds. Family-Centered Maternity Care helps transform hospitals and results in significant return on investment. Patients report greater satisfaction, costs are lower, and long-term revenue is increased. Dr. Phillip's latest white paper, The Business Case for Family-Centered Maternity Care, explains in detail the relationship between Family-Centered Maternity Care and positive transformation of the hospital's maternity services. (Click on the title to download the paper in Adobe Acrobat format).

Female-specific healthcare provides substantial revenue opportunities to dramatically improve patient experience and loyalty, which, in turn, drives stronger revenue. Women in the United States spend more than $43.3 billion on female-specific conditions every year, with childbirth being one of the first and most pivotal roles played by hospitals in a woman’s life.

To add to this growing opportunity, the U.S. Bureau of Census has projected long-range figures at 4.2 million in 2010 and 4.8 million in 2028. However, in spite of these predictions for a baby boom, it is important to take into consideration a possible decrease in births. If history is a guide, economic hardship tends to cause a baby bust. The Great Depression in the 1930s brought a steep drop: women went from having an average of three children to two. Each of the last four recessions brought dips in the number of women delivering a child. It is too soon to tell to what degree this recession will affect birth rates, but it is important to be aware of that possibility as the economy continues to be troublesome.

While hospital administrators previously viewed Obstetrics (OB) as a loss leader, OB actually gives hospitals a unique opportunity to earn long-term patient loyalty and greater revenue. Imagine the benefits that organizations gain when they offer longterm, extended, women-centric products and services following a patient’s initial OB experience. Further imagine the benefits in offering extensive and unique education programs prior to childbirth to build relationships with women and to educate them about family planning, conception, prenatal and infant care, attracting even more patients through the door.