Characteristics of current hospital-sponsored and nonhospital birth centers.
OBJECTIVE
(1) To describe contemporary birth centers in terms of the population served, organizational and financial characteristics, services provided, mission and philosophy, and planning and marketing techniques. (2) To compare hospital-sponsored and nonhospital models with regard to the above characteristics.


METHODS
Data from the National Survey of Women's Health Centers conducted in 1994 are analyzed using t-tests and chi-square tests.


RESULTS
Contemporary birth centers serve a diverse population of women and provide a range of clinical and nonclinical services. Birth centers are both hospital-sponsored and nonhospital, with the former growing at a faster rate. Compared to hospital-sponsored centers, nonhospital centers serve a larger proportion of uninsured women, provide a broader range of clinical services, and are more committed to women-centered care. Centers utilize different marketing methods and are involved in a number of organizational changes to better position themselves in the changing health care environment.


CONCLUSIONS
Birth centers offer an attractive option to consumers and are a viable model for delivering women-centered care. Given that all "birth center" facilities do not share the same philosophy and service mix, women need to have some assurance of what a "birth center" will, and will not, provide.
Khoury
A J
AJ
Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA. amal@merlin.ebicom.net
Summers
L
L
Weisman
C S
CS
D000328:Adult; D016550:Birthing Centers / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003696:Delivery Rooms / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D015397:Program Evaluation; D014481:United States; D016387:Women's Health