What should patients consider when selecting a medical center and physician for peri-natal care?
Walsh: I would evaluate the level of staff interaction and how staffers respond to your questions, because you really want to be treated like a person — not a number — and you want answers to all of your questions. Also, it’s important to ask who will be attending the delivery. You don’t want a situation where the perinatologist or an anesthesiologist is on standby waiting for a call to come to the delivery room, because time is of the essence under these circumstances. Frequently, I wait outside the delivery room door just in case I’m needed when one of my patients is delivering. Also, mothers-to-be and fathers-to-be should ask which physician will be on call just in case the mother delivers when the perinatologist is on vacation. Also, ask how the doctor will transfer the information about the case to another doctor, should delivery occur while the patient’s regular perinatologist is away. Wijesinghe: At large medical centers like tertiary medical centers and teaching hospitals, pati
