Did you know that the Society of OB/GYN Hospitalists is holding its second annual clinical meeting on Sept. 27-29, 2012, in Denver? Did you know that the Society of OB/GYN Hospitalists (SOGH) even existed? With more than 100 paid founding members, SOGH is not yet widely known within the ob.gyn. community; however, it did not emerge overnight.
Formally established in 2011, it came about due to a group of like-minded and dedicated ob.gyn. hospitalist volunteers who, like me, wanted to create a formal community that would address our specific needs, answer our particular questions, and reinforce, bolster and support our emerging position of influence in ob.gyn. hospital care.
With the concept of the "ob.gyn. hospitalist" widely embraced only since 2003, I wasn’t sure how many other physicians were practicing this model of ob.gyn. care. I was certain I wasn’t alone, so in 2008 I launched my website ObGynHospitalist.com to make sure. It was a fairly "homemade" effort at first, but approximately 175 ob.gyn. hospitalists of varying descriptions joined my site in its first 2 years. I had gathered together a community of disconnected, somewhat frustrated, and often isolated hospitalists who were motivated to connect and exchange answers with one another.
As the number of members grew, and the website became the only professional resource for ob.gyn. hospitalists, there was increasing interest in getting together in person. In 2010, I requested that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) allow us to hold a Special Interest Group meeting at its annual clinical meeting (ACM) in San Francisco. I was thrilled that more than 75 people showed up and a lively discussion of hospitalist-specific issues clearly showed that there was a need for a more formal organization to be formed.
An organizational meeting was held in Denver in October 2010 with 17 people in attendance. A pivotal moment at that meeting was when Dr. Larry Wellikson, the Society of Hospital Medicine’s CEO, gave us invaluable advice on how to form a nonprofit medical society.
A second Special Interest Group meeting was held at the 2011 ACOG ACM in Washington, D.C. This provided the impetus and the volunteers to start organizing the society’s first ACM. In September 2011, it all came together. With 43 enthusiastic ob.gyn. hospitalists, generalists, and administrators in attendance, SOGH was officially born.
Cochaired by Dr. Karenmarie Meyer and myself, the conference covered a range of important clinical and business issues that affect ob.gyn. hospitalists. Presentations included best practices in obstetric triage and evidence-based cesarean section techniques. Data collection techniques, safety and malpractice issues, and ob.gyn. hospitalists’ core competencies also were discussed. The SOGH board of directors was elected. Volunteers signed up for four separate committees, and committee chairs were elected.
Following the ACM, The Doctors Company conducted a first-of-its-kind Obstetrical Emergency Simulation Workshop. One of the highlights was the attendance of Prof. Christopher B. Lynch, who flew in from the United Kingdom to personally demonstrate his B-Lynch suture. He will again be in attendance for the simulation workshop on Sept. 27, 2012.
Last month SOGH achieved another milestone with the launch of its website SocietyofOBGYNHospitalists.com, which is where you can find this year’s ACM schedule and registration form, as well as SOGH membership applications.
As SOGH’s outgoing founding president, I’m proud to have overseen its inception, birth, recognition as a nonprofit 503(c)3* organization, and the preparation for the second ACM. Dr. Meyer takes over as president after the ACM, and I look forward to watching it mature in the years to come.
Dr. Olson is an ob.gyn. hospitalist in Bellingham, Wash., the founding president of the Society of Ob/Gyn Hospitalists, and founder of www.obgynhospitalist.com. He is a consultant for ob.gyn. hospitalist programs.
* Correction made 8/20/2012