Lack of providers forces Women’s Specialists of New Mexico to scale back services

Citing New Mexico’s physician shortage, the state’s largest independent women’s health care practice has announced that it will no longer provide obstetrical services at Presbyterian hospitals.

Women’s Specialists of New Mexico is the largest independent obstetrician-gynecologist clinic in New Mexico, delivering 99,234 babies in Albuquerque since 1974. Those numbers won’t increase as quickly after Women’s Specialists announced that come March 1, it will no longer be able to provide services at Presbyterian hospitals.

Dr. Jeanine Valdez, a physician and immediate past president of the women’s health practice, said it was a difficult decision stemming from wanting to maintain staff, especially after some providers have left the group for varying reasons, including maternity leave, medical leave and retirement.

“We have a limited amount of full-time OBGYNs that do 24-hour coverage at both Presbyterian and Lovelace hospitals,” she said, “We have some providers that are leaving and no recruits coming in anytime soon. It’s making it difficult both mentally and physically to cover both hospitals, so our decision has been made to drop one hospital in order to keep our doctors working.”

Women’s Specialists has a group of midwives that have been established with Lovelace Women’s Medical Center for a long time, and Valdez said it would be easier to transition doctors from Presbyterian than to reestablish the midwife group.

“We are committed to supporting care transitions for patients impacted by the Women’s Specialists of New Mexico decision,” Presbyterian wrote in a statement to the Journal. Presbyterian has a staff of 44 physicians and advanced practice clinicians who will continue to offer labor and delivery services.

Women’s Specialists will still provide obstetric services like midwifing for Lovelace and plans to continue providing outpatient care for all patients, including those with Presbyterian insurance.

“We value our relationship with Women’s Specialists of New Mexico and have a long tradition in New Mexico of caring for women at all stages of life,” Lovelace wrote in a statement. “We have the capacity to care for additional patients and are proud to be a part of our families’ birth story.”

Roughly 200 to 300 patients are expected to be affected by the transition.

“It’s disappointing,” Valdez said. “You establish this relationship with a provider hoping they’re going to see you through this journey of bringing new life to the world, and then we’re not going to be able to see it through.”

Valdez believes the situation speaks to a larger issue.

“It’s been harder and harder to recruit and retain providers, and being a small practice — even though we’re the largest group for a small practice — in the sea of Lovelace, UNM and Presbyterian, I think some providers go over because they can offer a better salary, and we can’t match that,” she said. “Students have an interest in OBGYN work, but it’s a matter of lifestyle and pay, and I think that’s driving people to not come here.”

In an ideal setting, Valdez said staff would have to double to continue practicing at both hospitals, but at minimum, staff would have to increase by five providers. Valdez isn’t hopeful of any immediate staffing changes or updates as she said there is a lack of resources to recruit, though she does hope to one day continue providing services at both hospitals.

“From a long-term standpoint, I think that’s going to be a concern for not only New Mexico, but a lot of places in the United States that are more rural,” Valdez said. “I think the less providers that we have is going to be taxing on the doctors, and sometimes it takes one little straw to be like, ‘I can’t handle this.’”