Which hospital to deliver at???

Great_Expectations

Hi, again, and many thanks for the advice and encouragement I received in my earlier post.  I have been doing some research about doctors and hospitals who are in my medical insurance network.  There is some information on the insurance website about quality ratings and estimated costs of different services.  Their info suggests that Brigham and Women's is a high quality hospital for "uncomplicated vaginal deliveries" and their costs are higher than average.  The rating for South Shore Hospital is lower (2 stars as opposed to the maximum of 3) and their costs are average.


I'm pretty afraid of having insanely high medical bills, but at the same time, I do want to do what I can to make sure I get the best quality care.  Any ideas?  Your feedback on the quality of service at either of these hospitals or any other ones in the area would be helpful. 

Caronl

Hi there-
I reallt know nothing about the SSH, but went to by GYN today who no longer practices OB and said "you have to go to the Brigham".  He said that if there is need for specialty services they are right there.  There is an underground link to Children's hospital in case that is needed and they have the best resources for labor complications.  I will be delivering at the Brigham.  My sister in laws have both recently given birth there, had great experiences, and went to the B&W's OBGYN group.  Hope that helps!

Sue0213

I'm confused.  Do you have insurance?  If you do most plans have one copay for your whole pregnancy.  Then a copay for the hospital stay. 

jappicel

I had a planned c-sec at Brigham and had the best experience ever, seriously, I didn't want to leave! Nurses were amazing--and we all know they're the ones who take care of you the most!!

alicat108

I just delivered at Beth Israel Deaconess and it was the best experience.  I had a complicated pregnancy with several trips to Labor and Delivery and the care team there were wonderful.  Good luck to you.

Also not sure if you are insured??? but most OB care is covered.  I have Blue Cross of MA and did not pay a cent.

Great_Expectations

Thanks, everyone!  I do have insurance, but I guess I just got nervous when I saw the price estimates on the website.  In the past, I've gotten stuck with unexpected bills for medical services I thought would be covered under my insurance, so I'm just generally wary about these things.  But I have since talked with DH about this and he eased my mind about it.

I finally made an appointment - I'll be going to Harvard Vanguard in Quincy.  The staff I spoke to there was very nice and helpful so far - I hope that will continue. 

mmeloy

My OB is at the Harvard Vanguard in Kenmore and I delivered at the Brigham.  I cannot say enough good things about the overall experienced.  Since I had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery, I opted to have a midwife attend the birth, and I believe the Quincy office participates in that program.  She was great and spent a lot of time with me since I did not have an epidural.

Also, my DD had to have an upper GI study done since she had green vomit on the day she was born.  This really made me appreciate the proximity to Children's since that's where she needed to have the study done.  It would have been much harder to deal with if she had to be transported farther than basically down a hallway.

Good Luck with everything!

jennytsk

I delivered at SSH in May and it was absolutely wonderful (labor was long and a bit crazy but the nurses, midwives, doctors, lactation consultants, the room, everything was great).

If you have insurance, you shouldn't worry about it - call your insurance carrier DIRECTLY to find out if you could possibly be stuck with any costs (you may want to ask about anesthesia because I've heard that can sometimes not be covered).  I have BCBS and I didn't pay a cent for the delivery, stay, circumcision, lab work, epidural, anything. I looked up my claim online and it says the entire to-do cost $25,000 to my insurance company.  I'm not sure if that's cheap or expensive, compared to other hospitals, but I didn't pay a cent of that.

soxfan812

I don't know what kind of insurance you have, but as for delivery at SSH, I delivered my DD there and have nothing but positive things to say.  The delivery was uncomplicated, but at 3 days old, she had a stroke and was rushed back in.  The NICU at SSH was unbelievable, and the neonatologists were from Children's Hospital.  DD got amazing treatment and now, at 14 mos, has no residual effect.  I can't say enough good things about my experience.

stbmurray

I had my dd at SSH.  It was a wonderful experience - the physicians, nurses, and all staff were excellent.  The care was very personal.  I have friends who delivered at Brigham and pretty much felt like a number.  I also have a friend who decided breast feeding was not for her (long before she delivered) and the nurses at Brigham gave her major attitude over it.  I liked knowing I was close by the hospital, I ended up getting induced but it was nice knowing that I would be there in a matter of minutes if I needed to be.

smiley007

I am going to deliver at SSH. Many of my family members and friends have delivered there and they have said nothing but good things about the maternity dept there. 

Ali7879

I delivered at SSH and it was AMAZING! The nurses were fantastic and I had an uneventful delivery. They have a new maternity ward that beautiful and most of the L&D rooms are really big. They have extremely high security and they are so friendly with visitors! My OBGYN only delivers at SSH!

Hope this helps.

didi1078

I am going to deliver at SSH and I have heard only good things. If you go to Harvard Vanguard in Quincy, I believe you will deliver at Brigham and Woman's. If you have insurance you should only pay a fraction of the total cost of the service. You should be okay. Services like ultrasounds and out of the ordinary maternity services may not be covered but the actual delivery should mostly be covered. Good Luck

KhloesMom

I'm in the minority here, but I delivered at Boston Medical Center. My OB was also my GYN for years before I got PG and he's always been amazing. The nurses were wonderful, although delivering at a teaching hospital was a little like a 3 ring circus. I will go back again for my next baby.