Act early to improve maternal health. Here’s how.

Navigating all phases of pregnancy and the postpartum period is rewarding and challenging for all involved. Patients face the combination of their medical conditions that existed before pregnancy, only to encounter a new array of health issues depending on how their bodies react. From physical recovery to emotional well-being, the postpartum period demands careful attention and support. Despite advances in medical understanding and increased awareness, gaps in both pregnancy and postpartum care persist, putting many pregnant people at higher risk of worse outcomes.

In response, innovative health systems across the country are using technology, early detection, home monitoring, and offering greater agency for patients to make informed decisions to improve maternal health outcomes.

Here is a list of how members of the AMA Health System Program—which provides enterprise solutions to equip leadership, physicians and care teams with resources to help drive the future of medicine—are addressing health problems that arise during and after pregnancies to improve outcomes for parents and children alike.

1. Baptist Health is getting ahead of postpartum challenges before birth

   1. The postpartum period—which begins after delivery demands careful attention and support. Gaps in postpartum care persist, putting many pregnant people at higher risk of worse outcomes. Knowing what to expect and when to seek care is key to improving health outcomes and experiences postpartum. Discover how Jennifer Heer Ford, MD, an ob-gyn with Baptist Health, is educating patients about preventing postpartum complications.

2. Colorado Permanente Medical Group helps people plan or delay pregnancies

   1. Social media platforms—particularly TikTok—have become hotbeds of misinformation about birth control, with highly persuasive videos vilifying hormonal contraception. Myths and misinformation in circulation have caused significant concern among physicians as they see an increasing number of people discontinuing their contraceptives. That is why Kimberly Dawn Warner, MD, an ob-gyn at Colorado Permanente Medical Group, is educating patients about birth control as part of maternal health. Learn what advice Dr. Warner has about birth control for patients planning or delaying pregnancies. 

3. Confluence Health physicians track early signs of preeclampsia 

   1. Preeclampsia happens in 5% to 8% of all U.S. births. The potentially dangerous disorder can lead to serious and even fatal complications for mother and baby if left untreated. That is why early detection and intervention are key to turning the tide on maternal health and well-being. While it is unclear why some people develop preeclampsia, there are some factors that may put people in the high-risk category. Find out what Katie Peterson, MD, an ob-gyn at Confluence Health, wants her patients to know about preeclampsia. 

4. Ochsner Health’s maternity-monitoring program cuts pre-term births by 20%

   1. Ochsner Health started connecting pregnant patients with its digital medicine obstetric program in 2016 and has since achieved success across six key performance metrics including improved clinical outcomes, access to care and health equity. Ochsner Health’s Connected MOM (Maternity Online Monitoring) initiative uses digital health tools to offer expectant mothers a convenient way to safely manage their pregnancy in collaboration with their physicians at some 20 clinical sites in Louisiana and Mississippi. Learn more about how Ochsner’s program is making a difference for patients at risk for early births. 

5. Saint Peter’s Healthcare System enhances decision-making for mothers to be

   1. About 90% of patients giving birth at Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, said they feel they have a say in the decision-making and fully understand the pros and cons of treatment options in the experience. That is no accident. Rather, it is a result of the hospital’s participation in a structured process called TeamBirth, which is designed around best practices in communications, obstetric teamwork and clinical care. Read more about how Saint Peter’s has increased patient engagement. 

6. Sanford Health brings prenatal care to rural areas with video visits

   1. In the past four years, four different labor-and-delivery units have closed across rural northern Minnesota. “It’s created this extreme shortage of places where women can receive obstetric services and gynecologic care,” said Johnna Nynas, MD, ob-gyn at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center. Dr. Nynas is delivering babies while also extending her reach deep into the surrounding rural areas using telehealth for prenatal visits. With some patients driving more than two and a half hours to get to the medical center, offering video prenatal visits “just seemed liked the logical thing to do,” she added. Discover how Sanford Health’s Baby Beats program continues to help patients with prenatal care.

7. The Southeast Permanente Medical Group boosts postpartum BP control by 43%

   1. Within the intricate web of maternal care, The Southeast Permanente Medical Group took a technology-based approach to solve an all-too-common health problem in pregnant and postpartum patients: hypertension. Wielding the power of remote patient monitoring like a beacon of hope against the formidable foe of hypertension, the medical group aims to rewrite the narrative of maternal health. Learn more about how The Southeast Permanente Medical Group’s home-monitoring program is succeeding by engaging patients. 

As part of its advocacy to improve maternal health, the AMA has outlined concrete actions that should be taken to reduce and prevent rising rates of maternal mortality and serious or near-fatal maternal morbidity in the U.S.