Working toward a common goal: a collaborative obstetrics and gynecology practice.

Health care reform in the United States will continue to necessitate creativity in the organization and staffing of health care models. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center has expanded its staff by placing midwives as primary providers for most routine care and much of the specialty care offered within the department. Midwives and attending physicians work collaboratively in outpatient specialty clinics. Inpatient care is provided by a team of midwives, residents, and attending physicians. This model of care is easily replicated, and has resulted in improvements in clinical practice and increased patient and personnel satisfaction.