Homebirth vs. Birth Center in Tucson, AZ. Help!

[Nikitta34]

Has anyone out there given birth recently at the Birth and Women's Health Center in Tucson, AZ? I heard that since they were taken over by a hospital, they have not been as "gentle" on the births and tend to take a more clinical approach to labor and delivery.

How about a home birth with Lisa Block-Weiser? Anyone birthed with her? From what I understand, she is the only hb midwife in Tucson who will accept insurance. Is there anyone else?

I am insured by TriCare. Has anyone navigated this system with either a hb or birth center? I'd love to hear about your experiences and take in any advice you have to offer. I know everyone says that a hb will be worth every out-of-pocket penny, but I want to weigh my options before I commit to anything.

Thanks in advance!!

[nia82]

I'm not in your area, but Tricare pays for my birthing center in Denver. You have to call and ask, and since it is in network, I can remain on Tricare Prime and prenatals and briht are covered at 100%.
I know of women who have had homebirths with Tricare. They had to switch to Standard, the midwife has to be a CNM (CPMs are NOT covered by Tricare) and she needs to be in-network with Tricare, it is a certification she can fill it. You have to call Tri lots to find out about that paper. They will reimburse you $1500 after birth for your midwifery care with a homebirth midwife. That's all what the local ladies got... And still fighting about some bills. So they paid 2K themselves.

[mwherbs]

depends on the type of tricare- there are other midwives in the area who have been paid by them call around and interview- I have been to births with Lisa and she has a wider scope of practice than direct entry midwives- as she can write an rx for most other things that come up- so it all depends on what you want and are comfortable with-
I cannot imagine the birth center being even more conservative for years the perinatologist pretty much have set- protocols in order for the birth center to have back-up physicians- and typically they were more conservative than the care you would get if you were in the doc's practice--they have had about a 50-60% transfer rate for years and years - so less than 1/2 of the women who have signed up with them actually have a baby in the birth center- their c-section stats may be better-

[wombatclay]

moving to finding your tribe

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
and a reminder that some reviews may be best shared via PM to protect privacy and honor the mdc user agreement:

Positive healthcare provider reviews are welcome. Please use careful language when responding to or soliciting a review. We do not wish to host negative remarks or comments about practitioners, practices, hospitals or healthcare centers that might cast them in a negative light and which would present liability concerns for you and for Mothering. Negative comments that are verifiable facts of public record or court ruling are acceptable. Please avoid speculation and/or gossip. Please contact the provider or care center directly with any concerns or questions.

[TeaJunkie]

I gave birth at the birth center 2.5 years ago and are seeing them for this pregnancy as well.

I think that you should give birth wherever you feel most comfortable, but there are a couple of things to clear up:
1) The Birth Center wasn't "taken over by a hospital." This could refer to a couple of different things. First, they partnered with El Rio healthcare for funding because without it, they would have had to close their doors due to lack of funds. Second, they changed their group of "overseeing obstetricians" which is something that all midwife only birth centers must have to obtain malpractice insurance. Both of these things happened before my son was born and I never noticed a "clinical" approach my birth, so to speak. I couldn't have been happier, especially after seeing my sister's hospital birth a couple weeks ago...mine was nowhere near that clinical!!
2) One thing that skews the rate of birth that happen at the birth center vs. hospital is that some insurance providers will NOT let their patients deliver at the birth center due to their own hangups. There were a couple of people in my centering group who knew they would not deliver at the birth center because their insurance wouldn't let them. The midwives still attend to the labor at the hospital, however.
Another reason for the rate of hospital births is that some things automatically get you "risked-out" of delivering at the birth center. This is one thing that HAS been influenced by the overseeing OBs. The most common thing that would get you risked out is gestational diabetes. I think advanced maternal age is another.

I know this is long, and I'm not trying to sway you in one way or the other, I just wanted to answer some of your questions. Also, you can schedule an appt at the Birth Center and they would be happy to answer your questions. Lisa used to work at the Birth Center (I saw her once before I was pregnant and really liked her) so I don't think they would have any qualms about transferring your records to her.

Good luck deciding and I wish you the best of health and happiness on your pregnancy journey!

[Nikitta34]

Thanks to everyone who has posted. I am definitely still in the "gathering information" stage and I appreciate each of your inputs! I've set up an appointment at the birth center and I've spoken with Lisa BW, so now it's just a matter of making up my mind on what is best for me. I've also spoken to TriCare and was told that 100% of my pregnancy/labor care will be covered, regardless of whether I use the birth center (in-network) or Lisa BW/homebirth (out-of-network). Needless to say, I am very skeptical that the TriCare rep knew what she was talking about, as every other woman I've spoken to has had to fight TriCare tooth and nail to get reimbursed for homebirth care.

SO --- I still have to make up my mind on things. If anyone else has some advice/input, I'd love to hear it! And thanks again to everyone who's posted so far.

[Nikitta34]

Well, I ended up going to the Birth and Women's Health Center and it was absolutely fantastic. TriCare covered everything, and the midwives were caring, knowledgeable, and helped me through a trying (but wonderful) labor and delivery. If anyone else in Tucson is trying to decide if the Birth Center is right for them, I can offer a glowing recommendation.