TeamBirth maternity program launches at Providence Swedish

The initiative, a joint venture with the Washington State Hospital Association and others, seeks to ensure shared decision-making processes between birthing parents and clinicians.    

Providence Swedish is thrilled to be among the first 15 hospitals in Washington state to participate in the TeamBirth maternity program, which begins Oct. 23.

TeamBirth improves care by ensuring people giving birth and the clinicians caring for them have shared input and understanding during the delivery of care. TeamBirth was developed by Massachusetts-based Ariadne Labs, a joint center for health systems innovation at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 

The program calls for team huddles at key decision points throughout the hospital stay. Huddles happen on admission to the hospital, with any changes to the patient or child’s condition, when decisions are made surrounding delivery and any time the patient or a team member requests a huddle. 

The huddle aspect of TeamBirth ensures that everyone involved in the birthing process is on the same page. The person giving birth — along with any caregivers who are not part of hospital staff, including doulas, spouses, parents of the expecting person, etc. — convene with the labor and delivery staff to go over a birthing plan and any desires or expectations of the person giving birth. This ensures shared decision-making between the new parent and hospital staff in case of any unexpected changes to the delivery plan. 

“Providence Swedish is excited to be part of the TeamBirth initiative,” said Tanya Sorensen, M.D., executive medical director of the Providence Swedish Women’s and Children's Institute. “More babies are born at Providence Swedish than at any health system in the Puget Sound region. We are continually striving for ways to be more responsive to the needs of birthing parents and their families and to ensure that their voice is heard in the decision-making processes around the birthing experience. TeamBirth will play a vital role in our commitment to ensuring that every birthing parent — and their baby — has the best possible birth experience and outcome.”

The rollout of the TeamBirth program, which is supported with funding by Ballmer Group, is a joint venture between the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) and Ariadne Labs. WSHA will roll out TeamBirth to birthing hospitals in Washington in four cohorts, with a goal of reaching 100 percent program adoption in the state. 

Among the first cohort are six Providence Swedish hospitals. They include: 

• Providence Centralia Hospital 
• Providence Regional Medical Center Everett
• Providence St. Peter Hospital 
• Swedish Edmonds
• Swedish First Hill 
• Swedish Issaquah 

“We are excited to be one of the first states in the country to carry out TeamBirth, which is another tool our hospitals will have to ensure those giving birth will have the best possible experience in the hospital bringing their new child into the world,” WSHA CEO Cassie Sauer said. “Childbirth is such a special moment of life, and the implementation of this program calls for extensive avenues of communication to keep everyone on the same page, and to keep the expecting parent as an active participant in their health care.” 

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About Providence Swedish

Providence Swedish has served the Puget Sound region since the first Providence hospital opened in Seattle in 1877 and the first Swedish hospital opened in 1910. The two organizations affiliated in 2012 and today comprise the largest health care delivery system in Western Washington, with 22,000 caregivers, eight hospitals and 244 clinics. A not-for-profit family of organizations, Providence Swedish provides more than $406 million in community benefit in the Puget Sound Region each year. The health system offers a comprehensive range of services and specialty and subspecialty care in a number of clinical areas, including cancer, cardiovascular health, neurosciences, orthopedics, digestive health and women’s and children’s care. 

About the Washington State Hospital Association 

The Washington State Hospital Association advocates for and provides value to members in achieving their missions and improving the health of their communities. WSHA represents more than 100 hospitals and health systems in the state, including those that are non-profit, investor-owned, and county, state and military hospitals. The Quadruple Aim guides our members and our work as we strive to reduce the cost of health care and improve the patient experience, the clinician experience and the health of our communities. Visit www.wsha.org for more information. 

About Ballmer Group  

Ballmer Group is committed to improving economic mobility for children and families in the United States, funding leaders and organizations that have demonstrated the ability to reshape opportunity and reduce systemic inequities. We focus on multiple impact areas and systems that can impact economic mobility - such as early learning, K-12 education, college and career pathways, housing, behavioral health, and criminal justice - and we support leaders and organizations that focus on undoing systemic racism and the barriers it has created. Ballmer Group is both a national and regional funder – we have a presence and invest deeply in southeast Michigan, Washington state, and Los Angeles County. Ballmer Group was co-founded by philanthropist Connie Ballmer and her husband Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft, founder of USAFacts, and chairman of the Los Angeles Clippers. Learn more at www.ballmergroup.org.