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Recent headlines highlight both the urgency and opportunity to transform maternal health in the U.S. Medicaid expansion opens the door to more holistic postpartum care, yet nearly 60% of new mothers still miss essential follow-ups—especially younger women. At the same time, over 500 hospitals have closed maternity wards, deepening rural care gaps. Family physicians and digital tools like blood pressure monitoring in pregnancy offer promising solutions, while renewed interest in femtech could help drive much-needed innovation in maternity care.

7/31, Health Affairs: Reshaping Postpartum Care In Medicaid To Improve Outcomes And Reduce Costs

Medicaid expansion gives states an opportunity to create whole-person, longitudinal systems of care that address perinatal mental health, chronic disease, and social needs, as the percentage of pregnant patients experiencing these challenges increases.

7/29, News-Medical: Mapping the role of family physicians in rural maternity care

This study explores the geographic distribution of family physicians providing maternity care and identifies opportunities for family physicians to expand access to maternity care. 

7/29, Morningstar: Cedar Gate Data Finds Nearly 60% of New Mothers Miss Essential Postpartum Follow-Up Care

New data shows that a majority of new mothers are missing critical postpartum care, with younger women facing the steepest barriers.

7/18, Fast Company: Femtech changed fertility. Now it's ready to rebuild maternal health. 

Femtech has garnered millions in investment for fertility care, but innovation and investment have lagged in the maternity sector. There is opportunity to leverage the interest in femtech to change this.

 7/10, Penn LDI: Over 500 U.S. Hospitals Have Stopped Delivering Babies Since 2010

The maternity care access crisis has hit rural areas the hardest, but urban hospitals are not exempt. 

From Babyscripts:

7/15, HIT Consultant: Blood Pressure Monitoring in Pregnancy Is a Window into Long-Term Health

Anish Sebastian shares insights on the impact of new data, which shows how BP monitoring before 20 weeks gestation can provide early insight into a person’s risk for cardiovascular disease later in life.

 

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