Labor/Delivery at Magee or St Clair? (Pittsburgh, Bethel Park: obgyn, insurance)

[paddy205]

I am wondering if most women in the South Hills go to the trouble of delivering at Magee (because of reputation?) or just use St Clair Hospital (I know nothing about its reputation)? I am new to the area and do not have an OB yet. My husband and I are just starting to try to get pregnant. We have one child already. I figured I'd choose my OB based on which hospital they are affiliated with and of course if they are in network. I checked my insurance, which is Blue Cross, and they stated that both Magee and St Clair are in network. Also, any recommendations on the dr? I am in Dormont but work in Robinson so anywhere around either is good. Thanks!

[Burghgirl17]

The majority of people that I know delivered at Magee, and I had both of my children there (thought St. Clair is closer). My OB practice is through Magee Womencare Associates and I went to their Bethel Park office. Being affiliated with Magee, of course those doctors deliver at Magee and not a competitor. But for my husband and I, this was a no-brainer. Should anything go wrong, Magee is the place to be. I'm not sure, but I do not believe St. Clair has a NICU. Should one of my babies have required extra care (and one almost did), I would want to be in the same hospital as them. St. Clair would likely have had to transfer my child to Children's.

Some call Magee a baby factory because of the number of people who deliver there (around 10,000 babies born there a year versus 1,300 for St. Clair). It's a big place, but your birth experience is private. The birthing rooms are large and private. It's quiet and calm. I didn't feel like it was a "factory" at all.

St. Clair is a lot better of a hospital than it used to be, but I still have qualms about it. I think it is fine for adults for emergencies (though I would not go there for something severe) or for other medical treatments. But for kids I'm ehhh. We had to take our toddler there when she has an extremely high fever, and though everyone was very nice, I just didn't feel like they knew what they were doing with a 2 year old. Our pedi told us to take her to an ER, and it was the middle of rush hour, so we chose St. Clair b/c Children's would've taken forever.

I loved Dr. Joshi at Magee Womencare Associates. Her group has locations in the Bethel Park UPMC complex (near South Hills Village Mall - probably convenient for you), at Magee and elsewhere (not sure where).

[Hopes]

I'm not in the South Hills, but I did choose to deliver at Passavant over Magee 20 years ago. I'd make the same decision today. I had a few surgeries at Magee and Passavant prior to being pregnant. My nursing care was better at Passavant than Magee. That's partly why I decided to deliver at Passavant. Pregnancy, labor and delivery isn't really that big of a deal. Most OB/GYNs at other hospitals also work at Magee so it's not like you're getting better doctors for normal pregnancies. You'll end up at Magee if you become a special high risk so it really doesn't matter where you start out.

My only doctor recommendation is to avoid Ira Rock at all costs. Don't even use the practice he's in so you can avoid getting him on-call.

[paddy205]

Burghgirl- did you see the same dr there all the time or did you have to see a bunch of them because they couldn't/wouldn't guarantee who would be available when you went into labor? It looks like there a TON of drs there. I don't see a Dr Joshi though. Thanks.

[heartchya]

West Penn! It has the same level NICU as Magee if you would ever need it. The nurses are wonderful. The birthing suites and post partum rooms are all recently renovated and huge.

Ok so I know you didn't ask about West Penn but I am always wishing people realized you have a choice besides Magee that is the same on level.

I am not sure about St. Clair. I would think it is okay to use unless you are high risk then they may send you elsewhere. I personally though would want a hospital with a NICU just in case.

[greg42]

West Penn and Magee are the two NICUs. Anything that happens that puts you at higher risk will end up with you being transferred there anyway, even if you choose one of the smaller outlying hospitals. BTW that is not a choice anymore with anything UPMC; all UPMC deliveries in the area happen at Magee. That's why there are sooo many there.

What I remember is my longtime colleague, who ended up twice in a row with difficult issues. She was scheduled for Shadyside (back when it was still separate from UPMC). But she went to West Penn specifically when there was even a hint of an issue. Even when she was out in the North Hills and someone had called an ambulance for her and they wanted to take her to Passavant (when it was still separate from UPMC) she told them to take her to West Penn or she was getting out! Here's why: if the baby is delivered and needs the NICU, they will transport the baby to the NICU and you could be separated for...it might not be that long but you don't know. She didn't want that uncertainty. If you go to the place with the NICU directly, you won't ever end up in two different facilities.

That's all I know. I can't exactly tell you anything firsthand.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by greg42

BTW that is not a choice anymore with anything UPMC; all UPMC deliveries in the area happen at Magee. That's why there are sooo many there.

It's a terrible thing too. Just like it forces all pediatrics to Childrens. Children's wouldnt' survive financially otherwise. Magee would survive, but UPMC can charge more for tests and services at Magee compared to other UPMC hospitals. Don't believe me? Call UPMC to get quotes for MRIs and ultrasounds for Magee and other UPMC hospitals. Magee's imagining services are higher than most of them. And THAT is why UPMC forces all deliveries to Magee---because UPMC makes more money directing all obstetrics to Magee.

[paddy205]

Thank you all for the info. I definitely wouldn't want to be separated if the baby needed the NICU. I saw that St Clair has a Special Needs Nursery but I guess thats not quite as advanced as a NICU. When I had my first child (in NJ) they took her to the NICU bc I developed a fever during the delivery. Turns out nothing was wrong with either of us but they kept her there the whole time we were in the hospital just to make sure she didn't pick up an infection from me. If that happened again I would hate for the baby to be whisked away just for that. Or of course if it was something more serious I would want the best care there right away.

So anyone have an opinion on an OB they LOVE who is associated with either West Penn or Magee in the south hills or robinson areas?

[Burghgirl17]

Originally Posted by paddy205

Burghgirl- did you see the same dr there all the time or did you have to see a bunch of them because they couldn't/wouldn't guarantee who would be available when you went into labor? It looks like there a TON of drs there. I don't see a Dr Joshi though. Thanks.

Magee Womencare has a bunch of smaller divisions, each with several doctors in the practice. There are 3 OBs in the division of the practice that I see - Dr. Seiavitch, Dr. Corey and Dr. Joshi. With my first child, I saw all three doctors (Dr. Joshi is newer to this practice - she replaced another doctor who decided not to do OB anymore). I was induced, so I knew who would be delivering me (Seiavitch, he did a fine job). With my second child, I saw Dr. Joshi at each visit, except my last when she was on vacation. I was scheduled for Seiavitch to handle my inducement with my second child, but Dr. Joshi was also working that evening. She came in to say hi and see how I was doing. She checked me, and ended up delivering my second child a short while later. She was awesome for a lot of reasons, but also because she listened and remembered a number of my concerns. Here's her page on the UPMC website: Renu Ashwin Joshi, MBBS MD - Find A Doctor, UPMC | University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

It is rare anymore to find an OB who is the only one in the practice. It is also near impossible to guarantee that a particular OB will deliver you. Babies tend to be unpredictable like that. Plus, OBs need to have time off and a life, too. I think my situation worked out well. I knew all of the OBs in my practice from my first child, so I would've been fine with any of them doing the delivery. It just lucked out that I got my favorite, lol.

I think there is something to be said about a female OB who has also had a child. They just understand things in a way that a male OB can't.

Also, to mention post-partum nursing care... with my first child, I wasn't particularly happy with the level of care that I personally received. I had some minor complications, and I just didn't feel like the nursing staff was really on the ball. With our second, I found it vastly improved. I thought they did an excellent job and I felt well looked-after. The quality of the care to the baby was top notch both times.

[XRiteMA98]

I'd chose St Clair. It's very good and closer to home. SInce you are at the second baby chances are he/she will be come very quickly and you won;t want to be stuck in traffic going to Magee and give birth in the car.
Pick an obgyn from st clair and go there.