National maternal and infant health crisis spurs 30 health systems to act

In response to the national maternal health epidemic, 30 large health systems are banding together to find and put forward solutions to this crisis in their communities, announced AVIA, a digital healthcare solutions provider, noting that the U.S. is the only developed country in the world where preventable maternal mortality rates continue to rise

This endeavor, says the organization, marks the third phase of the Medicaid Transformation Project (MTP), a collaborative effort to transform healthcare and related social needs for the nearly 75 million Americans who rely on Medicaid and other vulnerable populations.

The Maternal and Infant Health Initiative kicked off on July 23 with an Action Forum in Philadelphia co-hosted by three Medicaid Transformation Project Members: Jefferson Health, Geisinger, and Christiana Care Health System and led by AVIA. The launch signifies the start of a multi-month effort for participating health systems to identify, select, implement, and scale solutions that improve overall care for moms and infants.

To date, 50 new solutions are underway throughout the country across the Project’s first two phases in behavioral health and community-based care.

A central goal of the initiative is improving care coordination throughout the entire pregnancy journey, which is typically very siloed and fragmented. During pregnancy, coordination is missing between OB/GYNs, specialists, and primary care providers who may be treating different aspects of high-risk pregnancies. During postpartum and infancy, coordination is missing between pediatricians and the mother’s clinician. Connecting care teams across a health system can help identify preventable issues earlier and ensure patients don’t fall through the cracks.

At the Action Forum, 70 leaders from 30 health systems took the first steps toward expanding the capabilities necessary to close these gaps in care and address some of the most common challenges that persist around pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, labor and delivery, postpartum, and infancy:

· How do you identify and engage pregnant women in the community early in their pregnancy to ensure adequate first trimester care and beyond?

· How can you use data to identify high-risk patients or comorbidities like diabetes and hypertension more quickly and effectively to intervene with the right care at the right time?

· How do you create flexible care schedules for moms based on individual needs?

· How do you promote racial equity and eliminate disparities in birth outcomes between white women and women of color?

“Our health system has experienced pockets of success in addressing this challenge, as have our peers across the country,” said Dr. Janice Nevin, President & CEO at Christiana Care Health System, who spoke at the Action Forum. “The value of being in the Medicaid Transformation Project is that we break down information barriers and learn from each other’s successes – and failures – together. It will take a truly collaborative and innovative effort if we’re going to drastically improve prenatal and postpartum care delivery in our communities and nation – and quickly.”

The Project analyzed more than 70 digital innovations in maternal and infant health to create a shortlist of nine solutions and 15 clinically validated care models, many of which were demonstrated at the Action Forum, including:

· Engagement platforms that can screen for social and clinical needs of mothers, initiate remote monitoring for patients in rural areas or patients with high-risk pregnancies, and collect self-reported outcomes to help monitor the health and well-being of mothers throughout the perinatal journey

· Coordinated care networks that include virtual lactation consultants, clinicians, doulas, and midwives to address workforce shortages and access challenges experienced in urban and rural areas

· Disruptive care models like group prenatal care, which also addresses social needs like mental health, sexual violence, and food security

The Project’s rigorous solution selection, methodology, and guidance are empowering health systems to take a more active role in a space that was previously managed by payers and consumers.