Birmingham Obstetrics & Gynecology, P.C. has been selected as a recipient in the first funding round of the Alabama Rural Health Transformation Program (ARHTP), a statewide initiative aimed at strengthening healthcare access, quality and outcomes in rural communities. The practice was awarded $17,500 to connect its electronic health record system to Alabama One Health Record, the state's health information exchange. The project is designed to improve continuity and coordination of maternity care for rural patients who may receive care from multiple healthcare providers and in different healthcare settings. This matters because it represents a targeted effort to address the fragmentation of maternal care in rural Alabama, where access to obstetrical services has sharply declined, jeopardizing the health of mothers and infants.
Governor Kay Ivey announced the award as part of the first round of ARHTP funding, which included 138 grants totaling more than $144 million to healthcare providers and organizations across Alabama. Birmingham OB/Gyn serves women from communities throughout Alabama, including many patients who travel outside their home counties for obstetrical and specialty women's healthcare. The grant is part of a broader state strategy to use technology and collaboration to bridge gaps between rural and urban providers, potentially serving as a model for other regions facing similar challenges.
"Birmingham OB/Gyn has cared for women from communities throughout Alabama for decades, and we increasingly recognize that improving women's healthcare requires better connections between rural and urban healthcare providers," said David Carmichael, CEO of Birmingham OB/Gyn. "This grant gives us an opportunity to strengthen those connections through Alabama's health information exchange and build infrastructure that can support better coordination of maternity care." The initiative underscores the critical role of health information exchange in ensuring that patient data follows the patient, reducing delays and errors in care.
The need for new approaches to rural maternity care has become increasingly important as local obstetrical services have declined across Alabama. According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, 45 of Alabama's 55 counties currently classified as rural had hospitals providing obstetrical services in 1980. By 2025, that number had fallen to 15. This dramatic reduction means many women must travel long distances for prenatal, specialty, delivery or postpartum care, making timely access to health information essential for providers to coordinate care across different healthcare settings. The implications are profound: without such coordination, rural women face higher risks of complications, missed appointments, and poorer outcomes.
Through the ARHTP project, Birmingham OB/Gyn will connect its Greenway PrimeSuite electronic health record to Alabama One Health Record. The connection will help participating healthcare providers securely access relevant patient information when women receive care in multiple healthcare settings during pregnancy, delivery and postpartum care. "This is a relatively small technology investment with the potential to become part of something much larger," Carmichael said. "Our goal is not simply to connect another computer system. We want to create sustainable ways for independent specialists, rural hospitals and community providers to work together so women can receive more care closer to home while maintaining access to specialty services when needed." This approach could reduce the need for unnecessary travel, improve continuity of care, and ultimately save lives by ensuring that critical health information is available at the point of care.
The Alabama Rural Health Transformation Program is part of a broader effort to strengthen rural healthcare delivery through new models of care, workforce initiatives, technology and collaboration. Alabama's rural-health policy framework recognizes approaches including shared clinical services, coordinated staffing, shared technology platforms and coordinated service-line development as potential tools for improving rural healthcare. "Every woman in Alabama deserves access to high-quality maternity care regardless of where she lives," Carmichael said. "We believe technology, collaboration and strong local healthcare networks can help make that possible." Birmingham Obstetrics & Gynecology, P.C. is an independent women's healthcare practice providing comprehensive obstetrical and gynecological care to women from Birmingham and communities throughout Alabama. Birmingham OB/Gyn is committed to advancing women's healthcare through high-quality specialty care, innovative technology and collaborative partnerships that improve access, quality and outcomes for women across Alabama. For more information, visit https://www.birminghamobgyn.com.
