The Mother's House: a new concept in antepartum care

OBJECTIVE: High-risk antepartum patients often require long and costly hospitalization. The Mother's House facility has been used to house antepartum women on hospital property as an alternative to inpatient management. This study looked at the cost effectiveness of this facility. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective chart review on occupants (n = 111) of the Mother's House from 2003-2005 was performed. Admission, discharge, and outcome data were collected. A comparison of the cost of management at the Mother's House with the estimated cost of inpatient management was then performed. RESULTS: A cost savings of $2.1 million was seen over a 3-year period with the use of the Mother's House. Demographic data show that patients with positive drug screens are more likely to fail Mother's House management. CONCLUSION: The Mother's House is a cost effective alternative to inpatient management of some antepartum patients. Admission criteria should be modified to exclude patients with positive drug screens.