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. This 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.
The significance of this investment extends beyond the modest dollar amount. It represents a targeted effort to address a growing crisis in rural maternity care. 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 sharp decline means that many women must travel outside their home communities for prenatal, specialty, delivery, or postpartum care, often navigating a fragmented healthcare system. Timely access to health information can help providers better coordinate care across different healthcare settings, reducing the risk of gaps in treatment and improving outcomes.
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. The 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.
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 will allow the practice to connect its Greenway PrimeSuite electronic health record to Alabama One Health Record, enabling participating healthcare providers to securely access relevant patient information when women receive care in multiple settings during pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum care.
David Carmichael, CEO of Birmingham OB/Gyn, emphasized the broader vision behind the project. "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," he said. "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."
Carmichael also noted that the investment is a starting point. "This is a relatively small technology investment with the potential to become part of something much larger," he 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."
The implications of this grant extend to the broader challenge of rural healthcare access. As obstetrical services continue to disappear from rural hospitals, collaborative approaches that leverage technology and data sharing become essential. By connecting to the state's health information exchange, Birmingham OB/Gyn can help bridge the gap between rural and urban care, ensuring that women receive consistent, coordinated care regardless of where they live. The practice's commitment to advancing women's healthcare through high-quality specialty care, innovative technology, and collaborative partnerships aligns with the goals of the ARHTP.
"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." More information about Birmingham OB/Gyn is available at https://www.birminghamobgyn.com.
