In an article discussing expanded care in a new San Francisco hospital, Petris Director Dr. Richard Scheffler was quoted regarding the general trend of hospitals in California towards maternity care in general. The article, titled “SF’s newest hospital to expand maternity care, end long-term nursing,” appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on July 29th, 2018.
According to Scheffler, “There’s big bucks in babies, hospitals know that,” Scheffler said. “I think this is a good thing, by the way. The more hospitals available in the Mission that can deliver babies, the better. … We get some form of increased competition. If it also happens to make money for them, this is America. This is the American health care system.”
He continues to state that moving subacute care out of hospitals is a “positive development,” and that “long-term stays in hospitals can increase the chances of contracting a serious illness such as pneumonia, which can be particularly dangerous for older patients.”
Dr. Scheffler concludes by claiming that the more services that can be performed out of the hospital, the “better off the patient is, and it’s good for our bank account. I’m in favor of moving things out.”
You can read the full SF Chronicle article that features his comments here.