Melisa writes:
" I think that maybe some of the responsibility
should be put back on the discharging physician as to whether or not
they
follow up."

I agree wholeheartedly, but a lot of the responsibility also falls
on the insurance industry.
As I understand it, many payers "dictate" how often a doc can see a
"well newborn".  In other words, without a medical diagnosis, they
don't get paid for a visit before 2 weeks of age!
I know the popular image of docs is that they make an obscene amount
of money and all live in million dollar homes.  IMHO this is very
distorted.  Many docs, especially those in the earlier years of
practice and who may still be paying off med school, live a modest
lifestyle which tells me they aren't filthy rich!  Therefore, they
can't help but be influenced by whether or not they will be paid for
a patient visit.  You can only afford to do a limited number of
"freebies".
We do have one Ped group that does routinely see nursing babies by
one week.  (They also work closely with us and will coordinate with
any visits we have with the mom.  It helps that they are in the
office building attached to the hospital.)
Our mom/babies who go home at 24/48 hours get a home visit 2 days
later as part of the hospital cost.  The "traditional" d/c duos get
a phone call a couple days after discharge.  However, without
face-to-face contact, it's hard for even the most experienced and
knowledgable nurse to always read between the lines.  A stock
questionairre doesn't always get the information needed to spot a
potential problem.

Winnie IBCLC (Hoping that now that some competing hospitals are
rumored to be working on BFHI ours may be more open to the idea!)

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