MARIN GENERAL HOSPITAL AND UCSF BENIOFF CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL TEAM UP

Marin General Hospital (MGH) has teamed up with UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital to offer Marin families access to the expertise and resources of one of the nation’s preeminent pediatric hospitals without leaving Marin.

The collaboration between the two organizations involves UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital perinatologists and neonatologists working on site at MGH, and or seeing patients at an outpatient multi-specialty practice with experts in pediatric cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology, pulmonology, orthopedics, ear nose and throat, and eating disorders, and a prenatal diagnostic center staffed with specialists in high-risk obstetrics.

 “This affiliation means our patients can benefit from a world-class pediatric hospital and medical center without having to leave Marin,” says Kara Ornstein, MD, chair of Marin General Hospital Pediatrics. “It will result in closer collaboration between pediatric specialists at both hospitals to enhance access, quality and continuity of care.”

According to Stephen Wilson, MD, associate chief medical officer for the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, pediatric hospitalists at each facility will be integrated into both hospitals’ medical staffs and joint practice standards will be developed for the most common pediatric conditions typically treated on the MGH inpatient pediatric and emergency units. Additionally, the two hospitals will develop joint practice standards and quality metrics for obstetrics, perinatology and neonatology to ensure the highest standards of care for mothers delivering at MGH, and for babies in the Level II NICU. 

“Our goal is for mothers, infants, and children receiving care at Marin General to benefit from the expertise that both institutions have to offer. The physicians at UCSF are very excited to be part of this collaborative endeavor,” says Wilson.

The affiliation also calls for joint planning for pediatric diabetes services delivered at the MGH Braden Diabetes Center and enhancement of the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital multispecialty practice at 1300 S. Eliseo Drive in Greenbrae to meet the common pediatric specialty care needs of Marin County. “The pediatric specialists staffing our Greenbrae practice are committed to the children of Marin. Many of them live here and feel a special affinity for the Marin community,” says Wilson.

“This new relationship provides a solid basis for families to experience the best of what both community-based and academic medical centers offer:  high quality, specialized health care for children in an accessible, service-oriented environment,” says Lee Domanico, CEO of Marin General Hospital. “The result should be that the whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts. Patient care is integrated in one setting with local and academic physicians working side by side with access to all the resources of an academic center.”

“We both share a commitment to providing emergency care designed with the unique needs of children in mind,” says Eric Scher, MD, director of the Marin General Hospital Pediatric Hospitalist Program. “From appropriately child-sized equipment and rooms reserved only for children to a staff of pediatric hospitalists and the 24/7 availability of a physician who specializes in children, both hospitals make sure children get the best care in the best setting. And, while MGH has a dedicated pediatric unit when extended care is needed, if more complex tertiary care is required patients can be easily transferred to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.”

Among the participating UCSF physicians is Colin Partridge, MD, who will serve as the primary neonatologist, and Lena Kim, MD who provides inpatient consultations and 24/7 back-up coverage to MGH obstetricians, as well as prenatal diagnostic services and advanced pregnancy care at the UCSF Perinatology practice in Greenbrae.