MedArrive has teamed up with telehealth provider Ouma Health to expand access to maternal-fetal healthcare for Medicaid beneficiaries in their homes. MedArrive connects patients to in-home care via a network of field providers and telemedicine, with care teams offering services including diagnostics, assessments and help with social determinants of health. The partnership allows Medicaid beneficiaries to access various maternal-fetal health services virtually, including prenatal and postpartum care and remote patient monitoring. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 includes a provision allowing states to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage to 12 months from two months.
MedArrive, a healthcare technology company that provides in-home care through a network of field providers and telemedicine, has partnered with Ouma Health, a telehealth services provider focused on maternal-fetal healthcare. Through the partnership, Medicaid beneficiaries will gain virtual access to maternal-fetal health services, including prenatal and postpartum care, chronic care management, lactation support, behavioral health screenings, and remote patient monitoring.
Ouma Health also provides access to maternal-fetal medicine physicians, midwives, and perinatal nurse navigators who can diagnose and prescribe medications across all 50 US states. The partnership aims to reduce the burden of healthcare costs and improve compliance and outcomes for Medicaid beneficiaries.
In the US, maternal mortality rates are increasing, with the maternal mortality rate jumping to 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The situation is particularly dire for women of color, who experience a maternal mortality rate 2.6 times higher than White women.
Medicaid pays for 42 percent of all births in the US, and expanding maternal care access to Medicaid beneficiaries can help address rising maternal death rates. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 includes a provision allowing states to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage to 12 months from two months. As more than half of pregnancy-related deaths occur postpartum, and the infant mortality rate within the Medicaid population is higher than that of the private insurance population, the extension has the potential to improve outcomes for mothers and infants.
Michigan is one of the 29 states, including the District of Columbia, that have implemented the 12-month extension. In addition, the state has provided Medicaid-eligible families with access to the Philips Pregnancy+ mobile application, which offers information on fetal growth and personalized support, including 3D-animated models of the fetus.
The partnership between MedArrive and Ouma Health aims to give healthcare organizations and managed Medicaid plans the ability to address the maternal health crisis in America while also reducing their costs. The partnership provides a hybrid care model that removes the burden of taking time off, finding childcare, or absorbing the cost of transportation to see a maternity specialist, leading to improved compliance, a real-life examination of social determinants of health, and a return to trustworthy relationship medicine, especially for the most vulnerable members of communities who often feel neglected by health systems.
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