A Bangor-area pediatrics practice has decided to discontinue newborn checkups at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.
Medical Center Senior Vice President Dr. James Jarvis says the decision made by Penobscot Pediatrics follows a trend among physicians in private practice to forego hospital privileges.
Jarvis says economic pressures play a role.
“You can see more patients in the office than you can going to the hospital and seeing one or two babies and then going back to the office,” he says.
Jarvis says the change means less continuity of care for some families, but he says Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center’s pediatric staff will absorb the resulting increase in newborn patient care.
Jarvis says there are still a few private practice physicians in the area who will continue to do newborn checkups at the hospital.
