OB/GYN — Maternal Fetal Medicine Service and Ultrasounds

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The Maternal Fetal Medicine Service of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center has been privileged to provide evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of high risk and complicated pregnancies for more than two decades. We recognize the incredible sacrifice that many of you have and continue to make dedicating this time in your life to personally serve our country and support your loved ones doing the same.

Our passion and goal is to provide competent, compassionate, high quality and safe health care to our patients and their unborn children. One of the highlights of most pregnancies is the opportunity to look at your baby by ultrasound. It is one our greatest honors to provide this service to you. We understand that this is an exciting exam for our patients and their families. We do however feel it is important to stress that this is not an entertainment service. This is an imaging procedure designed for both screening and diagnostic evaluation of the health and wellbeing of your baby and pregnancy. As such we take this moment to make you aware of several important issues that help us insure appropriate attention and length of appointment for each patient and her family.

Lateness Policy

All patients are instructed to arrive to the Perinatology Clinic 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment time. Due to the nature and duration of the scheduled exam those patients who arrive more than 10 minutes after their scheduled appointment time will, in most cases, be rescheduled to the next available appointment. We will make all reasonable efforts to provide this appointment the same day, but it may be several hours later or possibly a different day altogether. Strict adherence to this policy allows us to provide quality care and to dedicate the required amount of time to accurately assess the wellbeing of your baby and your pregnancy.

Children Policy

Children younger than 10 years of age must be accompanied by an adult and will only be permitted into the US exam room as time allows for a brief period once the diagnostic portion of the exam has been completed. Because we care for the safety of your children and the quality of the care we provide to each patient, those arriving to their appointment without a child care plan will need to be rescheduled for a time when they are able to obtain appropriate care for their children less than 10 years of age.

Exam Room Policy

Again, we recognize that this is an exciting time and exam for patients and their families. Due to several reasons including limited space in exam rooms besides the patient herself only two additional family members or friends will be admitted into the exam room. To allow our sonographers to focus on the task of evaluating your baby we ask that you and your guests hold your questions until the end of the exam. We also ask that you keep your side conversations during the exam to a minimum to limit distractions during the ultrasound examination. Additional family members and friends, time allowing, may be permitted into the exam room for a brief period of observation once the diagnostic portion of the exam has been completed.

Electronic Device Policy

As part of the high quality imaging procedure we will make all reasonable efforts to provide ultrasound photos of your baby for your personal use; these will be given to you at the end of the exam. It is also our desire to minimize the number of distractions to our Sonographers and Physicians by asking you to silence your cellular or smart phones; texting, taking pictures, or recording while in the exam room is not allowed. We reserve the right to excuse from the room family members, friends, or patients who do not comply with this policy.

3D/4D US Policy

These imaging techniques have advanced our ability to evaluate complex fetal abnormalities. Most evaluations of a baby do not require these techniques. As time allows during your 2nd trimester ultrasound efforts may be made to obtain a limited number of 3D/4D pictures. Extending an appointment or scheduling follow up evaluations solely for the purpose of obtaining 3D/4D images will not be permitted as for the majority of patients this is being provided as an additional, non–diagnostic service.

We appreciate your attention to these policies and request your assistance in following these as we strive to provide safe, high quality, and compassionate care to you and your growing baby.