LETTERS : HMOs Deliver Range of Care for Moms
Re “In the Hours Following Childbirth . . .” (June 22): It is up to an attending physician to decide, along with the patient, when to discharge a mother and newborn. In some cases, the attending physician will consult with a medical director.
Many HMOs offer follow-up calls and home visits by nurses and other practitioners to be sure mother and baby are adjusting comfortably. Such visits include follow-up testing of the newborn, demonstrating care for the newborn such as bathing, and consultation concerning breast-feeding.
It should be noted that this full range of services, which includes prenatal care, delivery, postpartum follow-up, as well as pediatric and well-baby care, generally involves very little or no out-of-pocket cost for mothers and their families.
HMOs have high enrollment of women in child-bearing years and mothers with young children because many women find that HMOs offer a comprehensive range of care during pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, and early childhood--at a price they can afford.
BETTY CARSON, R.N.
San Bernardino
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