Birmingham Obstetrics & Gynecology, P.C. has been selected to receive $17,500 in the first round of funding from the Alabama Rural Health Transformation Program (ARHTP), a statewide initiative to strengthen healthcare access, quality, and outcomes in rural communities. The grant will enable the independent practice to connect its electronic health record system to Alabama One Health Record, the state's health information exchange. This connection is intended to improve continuity and coordination of maternity care for rural patients who often receive care from multiple providers across different settings.
Governor Kay Ivey announced the award as part of the first ARHTP funding round, which included 138 grants totaling more than $144 million to healthcare providers and organizations across Alabama. Birmingham OB/Gyn serves women from communities throughout the state, including many who travel outside their home counties for obstetrical and specialty women's healthcare. The practice's CEO, David Carmichael, emphasized the importance of bridging rural and urban healthcare providers. "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," Carmichael 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."
The need for new approaches to rural maternity care has become critical as local obstetrical services have declined. 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. For women who must travel outside their communities for prenatal, specialty, delivery, or postpartum care, timely access to health information can help providers better coordinate care across different healthcare settings.
Through the ARHTP project, Birmingham OB/Gyn will connect its Greenway PrimeSuite electronic health record to Alabama One Health Record. This connection will help participating healthcare providers securely access relevant patient information when women receive care in multiple settings during pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum care. Carmichael noted that the investment, while relatively small, has the potential for broader impact. "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 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. Carmichael underscored the ultimate goal: "Every woman in Alabama deserves access to high-quality maternity care regardless of where she lives. We believe technology, collaboration and strong local healthcare networks can help make that possible."
This grant highlights a growing recognition that health information technology can play a vital role in addressing disparities in rural maternity care. By enabling seamless data exchange, Birmingham OB/Gyn's project could serve as a model for other independent practices and rural hospitals seeking to coordinate care more effectively. As rural obstetrical services continue to dwindle, such collaborative, technology-driven approaches may be essential to ensuring women across Alabama can access the care they need, when and where they need it.
