Saying that continuing obstetric care would be unsustainable moving forward, Maui Lani Physicians and Surgeons will no longer be taking any new pregnancy cases.

The clinic, which is one of three main obstetric community providers, over a month ago made the hard decision to end full OB care due to staffing issues, challenges with recruiting physicians and low reimbursements in exchange for time worked, as well as burnout. The clinic will continue to provide gynecology care.

“It was a really difficult decision because we really did enjoy doing full spectrum obstetrics and gynecology for as long as we have,” Dr. Stacy Ammerman, an OB-GYN with the clinic, said Thursday afternoon.

The doctors are finishing the deliveries they have now, but after October, they will only be providing gynecology care — for current and new patients. Maui Lani Physicians and Surgeons will still be able to confirm pregnancies and assist mothers through the first trimester.

The team of physicians has delivered thousands of Maui babies since the practice opened a decade ago and averages about 30 to 55 pregnancies a month, Ammerman said.

The clinic had been utilizing a travel doctor, which is more costly, to help with services while searching for a full-time physician after the previous one left the clinic last summer.

High costs of living have been a challenge for recruiting across all medical fields.

Ammerman said burnout in this profession is also not uncommon, and a 2017 report by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists states 40 to 75 percent of OB-GYNs experience some form of it during their careers.

“We just couldn’t continue on that trajectory and we didn’t have any prospects in terms of hiring going forward,” she said.

While OB care is ending at the clinic, the positive news for other patients means this will reduce delays and wait times for new and current patients needing gynecology care, which is an “underserved area,” Ammerman said.

Currently, there are three gynecologists, including Dr. Christy Takemoto, who’s practiced on Maui for 16 years, and two mid-level providers to see patients.

“We had such a long wait time for our gynecology patients and patient referrals of up to five, six months, so we decided that it would make more sense financially and as a clinical practice to focus on that,” Ammerman said. “We have thousands and thousands living on Maui that need care … . We really want to improve that access for sure and access to same-day or same-week appointments for emergencies.”

Malama I Ke Ola Health Center and Kaiser Permanente Maui will be the only two options for full maternity services and deliveries, Maui Lani Physicians and Surgeons said.

Kaiser, which currently has around 67,000 members on Maui, “provides high-quality OB/GYN care to our patients,” Communications Director Laura Lott said via email on Wednesday.

Malama I Ke Ola did not respond to a request for comment by Friday.

However, Chief Executive Officer John Vaz said in a statement last month that the center is actively working to address access and demand.

“With the severe shortage of medical professionals across all specialties, the closure of any service can lead to worry and concern about safe, high quality health care access for all of our Maui County residents,” Vaz said.

Vaz added that the community clinic is in active discussions with community partners, medical providers and insurance planners to identify strategies to handle the increased capacity “to meet the current and rising health care needs of our community.”

Come summertime and beyond, OB medical personnel at Maui Memorial Medical Center do not anticipate a substantial increase in OB patients, but “our team is here and prepared to care for all of our patients in need,” said Mahie Wong, Maui Health’s director of marketing.

In 2022, the hospital averaged about 120 births per month.

“Maui Memorial Medical Center has a dedicated unit, with outstanding and committed providers and staff, to care for laboring patients as well as those recovering from childbirth,” Wong said via email. “Through our master planning efforts, we continue to look at expansion of services based on the growing needs of our community, which includes OB services, to ensure we can continue to provide quality and compassionate care to our residents and visitors.”

Maui Health has had preliminary discussions with leaders at the University of Hawaii to explore a partnership to bring OB residents to Maui Memorial, such as an OB-GYN Residency Program, which, according to the UH website, includes Queen’s Medical Center, Pali Momi Medical Center and Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center on Oahu, as well as Hilo Medical Center on Hawaii island.

“We understand this is a long-term solution to the issue, as there is a national shortage of OB/Gyn physicians and Maui’s geographical isolation, and high cost of living are contributing factors to the challenge of recruiting doctors,” Wong said. “Leadership at Maui Health is having discussions about options to address the community need for Obstetrics, and one of the options being discussed is hiring laborists.”

* Dakota Grossman can be reached at dgrossman@mauinews.com.