‘Committed to the work’: Perinatal Associates of New Mexico ranks No. 1 in Top Workplaces midsize category

Perinatal Associates of New Mexico is the No. 1 midsized company to work at in the state.

"Our wins as an overall medical practice are the wins of our staff as well," said Dr. Michael Ruma, president of the company and a maternal fetal medicine specialist.

The Albuquerque-based organization is the largest maternal fetal medicine practice in New Mexico, offering services like low- and high-risk ultrasounds, genetic counseling, diabetes management, mental health care and outpatient medical management. Ruma said his health care professionals encounter everything from common pregnancy complications like high blood pressure or diabetes to more unique problems like preterm labor or low fluids.

"Most of our job is really, really fun, but there's maybe 5% of patients that have pretty significant complications," Ruma said.

The company has five physician offices and eight satellite offices.

"I feel appreciated and cared for. That's really pretty amazing, in a company with so many locations, to feel connected to people you've never even met," one employee wrote in an Energage survey.

Ruma described New Mexico as a unique place to practice medicine, with its deep-rooted poverty, poor education systems and high drug utilization rates.

The state is also home to large Hispanic and Native American communities who are genetically more vulnerable to medical complications, like obesity, hypertension and diabetes, Ruma said, making a healthy pregnancy all the more difficult.

Ruma added that access to medicine is lacking in many parts of New Mexico, a geographically large state with a small population.

"That provides a lot of complexity, you know, moms all over in very small towns," he said.

It's why Perinatal Associates of New Mexico relies so heavily on telemedicine, Ruma said. He said last year the company had just under 20,000 telemedicine visits.

The federal government is also considering major cuts to Medicaid, something hospitals around New Mexico fear could drastically reduce coverage residents are dependent on, but that health care professionals "don't have a lot of control" over, Ruma said. He said health care practices also often face cuts to reimbursement rates, which makes staff recruitment and retention difficult.

"And unfortunately, New Mexico has the third-highest maternal mortality rate in the U.S. These challenges are profound and very real," he said. "Thus, why (we need) the support of insurance payers, Medicaid, managed care organizations, state support, governmental agencies."

These challenges make Ruma all the more proud that Perinatal Associates of New Mexico placed as the best midsized company to work at.

"I joined the practice in 2008 — we had 30 staff members and we had three offices. Today in 2025 we have 13 offices and over 150 staff," he said. "We cannot do our jobs as physicians and maternal fetal medicine specialists without the secretary at the front desk, the medical assistants, our ultra-sonographers, our nursing staff, our genetic counselors, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives."

Ruma said his company has been successful in recruiting and retaining staff by paying competitive rates and offering bonuses. The company also offers a comprehensive health insurance package, health care reimbursements, a Flexible Spending Account, retirement profit-sharing plans, paid holidays and time off, mileage reimbursement and uniform allowances.

Oh, and a Costco membership — "shoutout to Costco," Ruma said with a laugh.

"Pregnancy is a really unique time in a person's life, a family and a couple's life; the staff, they see the impact and they see the successes and the difficulties," Ruma said. "I think they're highly committed to the work they're doing in pregnancy. So I think we're lucky in that way too."