HEALTH: HOSPITALS SAY THERE IS NO COMPETITION FOR BABY BUSINESS

As both Cape Girardeau hospitals begin construction or renovation of their obstetrics units, neither wants to say they are in competition.

St. Francis Medical Center has begun construction of a new obstetrics ward that will feature state-of-the-art LDRP -- labor, delivery, recovery and post-partum -- suites.

Southeast Missouri Hospital plans to begin renovation of its existing obstetrics ward within the next three weeks. The renovated ward will feature LDRP suites.

Steven C. Bjelich, president and CEO of St. Francis, said his hospital's decision to offer obstetrics services was not inspired by a sense of competition.

"We've got women who are asking for an alternative, and we're going to be able to provide that for them," he said.

James W. Wente, administrator at Southeast, said he would not talk about St. Francis Medical Center's decision to offer obstetrics services.

He did say Southeast does not deliver babies as a means of securing future business.

"We're not in the OB business as a marketing tool," Wente said. "We're in the OB business, and we have been for over 70 years, ever since our inception."

When maternity service was discontinued at St. Francis in 1966, officials said it was because obstetrics beds at both hospitals were not always filled and that the administration believed one hospital could accommodate all maternity needs.

Southeast had about a 28 percent occupancy rate in its 28-bed obstetrics unit in 1999, delivering 1,600 babies. The hospital will decrease the number of beds to 19. If the birth rate remains the same, it will have about a 50 percent occupancy rate.

Different motivations

Southeast began considering renovating its obstetrics ward in the fall of 1997. The ward had not been remodeled since 1986.

"The physicians were very supportive in wanting us to update the facility based upon current trends in OB," Wente said. "So it was a natural thing to occur given the passing of time since we last updated it or remodeled it."

Jeannie Fadler, vice president for patient care at St. Francis, said medical center officials had a strategic planning session in October 1999 and determined that the hospital needed to be a full-service facility.

"One component that was missing was OB," Fadler said. "Initially, this unit is going to do well for us, but five years from now we hope to expand it."

St. Francis' obstetrics unit will have five LDRP suites, and Fadler said medical center officials anticipate delivering about 600 babies a year.

"It's designed to fit that expectation, and we're working within the confines of walls that are already there," Fadler said.

Both hospitals will have LDRP rooms, complete with non-institutional beds, rocking chairs, private bathrooms with jacuzzis and showers, and plenty of room for family visits.

Both will feature new nurseries, special care units and large family wait rooms.

Wente said Southeast will provide 24-hour anesthesia and epidural services.

"It's going to be top drawer," he said. "We can provide anesthesia and epidurals at any time without having to call anyone in."

One difference between the two facilities may lie with their willingness to perform certain surgeries, such as tubal ligations. St. Francis is a Catholic hospital, and the Catholic faith frowns upon such procedures.

"It is premature to comment on what services we will not be offering," Fadler said. "But as a Catholic hospital, we have directives on health care that we do follow."