The current landscape of maternity care is driving necessary change in care delivery.
Hospitals across the country are reporting critical staffing shortages and expenses have gone up, especially labor costs. Maternity wards are being hit harder than most as hospitals reallocate resources away from specialty care. In addition, patient retention is a major concern as consumer-focused entrants are offering an alternative to traditional forms of care.
The current landscape has accelerated the need to revamp the standard model of maternity care delivery that has not changed in years. The 12-14 in-person prenatal visit model was adopted as the standard of care in the 1980s and has not been critically examined since. With these visits typically lasting about 5-15 minutes, the standard model is not especially efficient or patient-centered, not to mention its lack of emphasis on support for new mothers in the postpartum period.
The existing gaps in the standard model of care have created an opportunity for digital solutions that enhance the in-person experience. PATH (formerly the Michigan Plan for Appropriately Tailored Perinatal Health), a response to the traditional model of care that represents the first substantial changes since the Institute of Medicine study in the 1980s, suggests that a hybrid model is a better approach to maternity care. With digital tools to supplement in-person care, women have more options for receiving care — a critical need in today’s landscape where women have increasingly limited access to prenatal care close to home.
The need for more touchpoints outside of the office is not new. ACOG’s postpartum hypertension safety bundle recommends an increase in monitoring of blood pressure in the postpartum period, which studies have shown is successfully accomplished through remote monitoring. A more recent practice advisory from ACOG recommends a more aggressive approach to maintaining lower blood pressures than before, which may also be more easily facilitated through the use of remote monitoring devices.
Care recommendations are also shifting to encourage a more holistic approach to care, both in terms of the risks targeted within the prenatal and postpartum period, and in the timeframe covered. Solutions are broadening to address non clinical risks such as transportation difficulties, substance use disorders and mental health issues, and monitoring of risk beyond the typical 6-week postpartum visit. Medicaid expansions across the country are reinforcing the importance of these longer-term solutions, but government support is only one part of the puzzle — stakeholders need to seek out solutions that engage and empower patients in their own care if these initiatives are to be successful.
Babyscripts has been focused on evolving our product to fit the changing needs of maternity care providers, and respond to new research and guidelines to support safer and more equitable prenatal and postpartum care.
Join CEO, Anish Sebastian; Senior Medical Director, Dr. Lauren Demosthenes; and Chun Wong, VP of Product, on August 17th, at 12 pm ET, as they introduce new product updates to help providers operate at the top of their license and improve patient care.
Attendees will hear about the real-world impact of these updates on Babyscripts users, gain insights into the future landscape of maternity care, and learn how Babyscripts is supporting our customers through those changes, including new recommendations for reduced in-person schedules.